WASHINGTON: Television star journalist Savannah Guthrie made an emotional appeal on Saturday for anyone with information about her mother’s disappearance to come forward, saying “we are begging for help” six months after the kidnapping took place.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, disappeared on the night of Jan 31-Feb 1, with recovered security camera footage showing a masked and gloved person prowling outside her home on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona.

The case captivated the United States as the FBI swooped on the region to search for the missing woman.

“Every day, we wake up and try to be strong and go on - because that’s what our joyful and resilient mom taught us to do. But make no mistake - our hearts are in ruins,” Savannah Guthrie wrote in an Instagram post.

On Friday, police said that the search for Guthrie is ongoing, and asked for public assistance as it released two purported ransom notes sent to a local television station on Feb 2 and Feb 6.

The first note made a ransom demand while threatening Nancy Guthrie’s life.

The second note was apologetic, saying that she had died while captive and was “buried in nature now”. Her remains have not been recovered and there are currently no known suspects.

Authorities and the Guthrie family hope that a member of the public will come forward with a tip after recognising speech patterns in the notes or a change in behaviour by a friend or family member.

“Someone knows something. Someone suspects something. Someone recognises the writing in the ransom demand notes. Someone has noticed something different, strange, troubling or just unusual -- perhaps with someone they deeply love,” Savannah Guthrie wrote in the post on Saturday morning.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2026