President Donald Trump hinted Friday that federal involvement in the investigation Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance would soon yield new developments in the case.
“We have some things, I think that will maybe come out reasonably soon, from DOJ [Department of Justice] or FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation], or whoever, that could be, could be definitive,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, according to CNN.
He continued, “A lot has taken place in the last couple of hours. A lot of things have happened with regard to that horrible situation in the last couple of hours.”
Earlier this week the president wrote on Truth Social that he is “deploying all resources” to find Today anchor Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, who disappeared from her home sometime between Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
Asked about the federal support, Trump said, “I think we’re doing very well on that regard,” adding, “Very well meaning we have some clues, I think that are very strong, and I think we could have some answers coming up.”
Trump did not elaborate further.
The involvement of federal investigators in case originally handled by the Pima County Sheriff’s office ramped up at the end of the week as a new note arrived at CBS local affiliate KOLD about Guthrie, which the FBI was examining for its authenticity.
Earlier this week, KOLD and TMZ received emails reportedly demanding millions of dollars in bitcoin for Guthrie’s return.
Both station anchor Mary Coleman and TMZ founder Harvey Levin have apparently been cooperating with authorities by not revealing specifics of the first note, which investigators typically keep under wraps to help determine their authenticity.
Levin, in a lengthy appearance on Fox News Friday, explained that based on its grammar and organization, whomever wrote the email was educated and crafted a coherent message.
“What I will say is this, this is not a letter that was thrown together in a couple of minutes,” Levin told Sean Hannity. “It is a very specific, well organized, layered letter that really lays things out. This is not AI.”
That ransom demand letter reportedly has a Monday deadline, though little has been revealed as to the consequences of not meeting it.
The new, second email, according to KOLD anchor Marky Coleman who saw the letter, included “sensitive information.” She didn’t reveal anything further in appearances on other news outlets, other than to say she thought the writer made an effort to include details to prove it is the same person who wrote the first note.
On Friday, authorities also returned to Nancy Guthrie’s Tucson neighborhood and her home in the Catalina Foothills north of Tucson to conduct more searches. Officers were seen searching the desert landscape around Guthrie’s home and on the roof of her residence.
It has not been revealed why the property was being searched again.
Also, investigators removed a device from the roof of the Guthrie home.
Retired New York Police Department Inspector Paul Mauro and Fox contributor told Fox’s Jesse Waters that the device was a camera that could have been overlooked during the first days of the investigation.
“Apparently on that roof, the agents recovered a new camera, a camera that apparently they hadn’t been aware of and they took it into their custody,” Mauro said. “I don’t know any more than that as to why it hadn’t been recovered, what it might see.”
The outlet also reported that a blue Subaru SUV believed to be owned by Guthrie was removed from the home’s garage and taken by a tow truck to an impound lot near the sheriff’s office.
Officials have not revealed why the vehicle was taken, according to the New York Post.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times true crime best seller House of Secrets and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
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