Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, snapped at the ‘sophisticated’ kidnappers who took Nancy Guthrie as the search for the 84-year-old entered its eighth day.
Pirro, Donald Trump’s top attorney, weighed in on the ongoing search for Nancy, the mother of Today Show anchor Savannah Guthrie, on Fox News on Sunday morning.
The 74-year-old first sent a comforting message to the Guthrie family before lashing out at Nancy’s captors and slamming them for taking her for ransom.
‘You’ve got smart people on both sides. You’ve got Nancy, you’ve got her family, you’ve got the country who is focused on this,’ Pirro said before erupting with anger.
‘How dare you kidnap an 84-year-old woman and take her for ransom! Why?’
Her comment comes after the tormentors, who claim they are behind Nancy’s abduction, demanded $6 million in Bitcoin for her safe return home, KGUN 9 reported.
The alleged culprits have ordered that they receive the funds before Monday at 5pm local time, according to the note, which was sent to the local Tucson station and other outlets.
Meanwhile, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly said Savannah told him about her missing mother before the news went public.
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US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro blasted Nancy Guthrie’s kidnappers for holding the beloved 84-year-old for ransom
Nancy was last seen on January 31 after having dinner at her sister Annie’s home in Tucson. She then went back to her home but did not show up for church the next morning. (Pictured: Nancy with her daughter Savannah)
‘I first learned of it before it became public. Savannah called me, because she knows I live here, and then I called the sheriff, and I called the Tucson Police Chief,’ Kelly, who described the journalist as a ‘friend’, told reporters.
‘That was mid-afternoon on Sunday and Savannah was on the way to the airport to fly here,’ Kelly continued, adding that she was ‘obviously rather upset’ when he spoke to her.
BREAKING NEWS
Ransom note demands $6MILLION in exchange for Savannah Guthrie’s mom, local TV station reveals
Kelly said the ongoing case is in ‘very capable hands’ under the leadership of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI.
His comments are a stark difference from what many have been saying about the way the investigation is being handled.
Since Nancy disappeared, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos jumped on the case, along with the FBI.
But now, more than a week after Nancy was last seen, the public has grown agitated with how the probe is moving along, especially after his recent ‘bumbling’ press conference.
The search for Nancy escalated on Friday night when forensics teams returned to her home for a third time to collect new evidence, including a car from her garage and a camera from her roof.
Earlier that day, Nanos told NBC News that he believes that Nancy is ‘still alive.’
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly said Savannah told him about her missing mother before the news went public
While Nanos offered an optimistic view of the search, he previously admitted that investigators are in a race against time, as the elderly woman is suffering health problems and is believed to be without her daily medications.
Authorities also said a ‘vehicle of interest’ was identified and believed to have been seen at a Circle K convenience store in the Tucson area on Friday.
A Circle K spokesperson told the Daily Mail that a ‘tip’ led law enforcement to the vehicle, and said the company was assisting investigators by providing access to its surveillance video.
It is unclear why the vehicle appeared to be connected to the disappearance, nor whether any suspects have been identified.
Cops swept her daughter Annie’s home and Nancy’s property on Saturday. It is unclear what – if anything – was recovered during those operations.
Annie’s home was searched earlier this week as well. Cops said that she and her husband, Tommaso Cioni, were the last people to see Nancy before she vanished.
Savannah and her heartbroken siblings, Annie and Camron, begged the unknown suspects to bring their mother home in a tear-jerking message on Saturday night – the second public plea they made.
The search for Nancy escalated on Friday night when forensics teams returned to her home for a third time to collect new evidence including a car from her garage and a camera from her roof
Tormentors, who claim they are behind Nancy’s abduction, demanded $6 million in Bitcoin for her safe return home
‘We received your message and we understand,’ Savannah, sitting between her two siblings while holding their hands, said in the video shared on her Instagram page.
‘We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay.’
Savannah did not share details about the communication her family received nor the demands that she agreed to pay to the abductors.
Nancy was last seen on January 31 after attending a dinner and game night at Annie’s home in Tucson.
Her family reported her missing to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department around noon the next day.
Relatives went to her house when members of Nancy’s church alerted them that she did not attend a service that morning.
When they arrived, the mother-of-three was nowhere to be found.
Investigators found blood on her front porch. They also discovered that her doorbell camera was disconnected at around 1:45 am.
Less than 30 minutes later, her security camera detected movement. Her pacemaker was disconnected from her phone shortly after that.
Newsrooms, including TMZ and KOLD, have reportedly been receiving ransom notes for Nancy. Authorities have not verified the legitimacy of those notes.
Read more on Daily Mail Online
