A former NYPD inspector theorized on Fox News that Nancy Guthrie’s suspected kidnappers may be unable to provide proof of life, explaining their silence in ransom discussions.
Retired NYPD Inspector Paul Mauro made the somber prediction on Fox News’s “The Big Weekend Show,” astonishing co-hosts Joey Jones and Tomi Lahren. “Well, you’re elusive on the communications because you know you’re going to be asked for proof of life that you can’t provide,” Mauro said.
The Theory
“I feel like they’ve been playing games with the details in the house and all of that,” Mauro said. “They probably planned for the idea that they could provide proof of life, and now they find themselves in a spot where, ‘We can’t. And so what do we do? Now we gotta bargain for something else. We gotta bargain to give back something else.'”
“That’s my read with the limited facts we have, hoping against hope I’m wrong,” Mauro said, but he also warned that the entire situation could “all be a hoax.” Lahren asked if Mauro meant the kidnappers may not have intended to hurt Nancy Guthrie, but something went wrong and they are still trying to get payment.
Mauro noted that one problem could be that Nancy Guthrie needs certain medications, and the kidnappers may not have been able to obtain them without drawing attention.
The Investigation
Federal agents searched a septic tank at Nancy Guthrie’s Tucson home on Sunday, just hours before a reported $6 million ransom deadline set for Monday night. People saw deputies using a long pole to poke around in the tank and shining flashlights inside.
The authors of the ransom note may have inadvertently revealed they were operating outside the United States because they specified that the multi-million-dollar demands be paid in US dollars, according to law enforcement experts. “Why would you use that if you’re a domestic person? That points to somebody who might be potentially outside the country, which also lends the potential for this being a scam,” former FBI agent Michael Harrigan told the New York Post.
Guthrie’s alleged kidnappers demanded a ransom to be paid in Bitcoin, but specified that the payment should be in USD. They set two deadlines: the first at 5 p.m. MT on Thursday, with the amount increasing if the payment was not made by this deadline and was instead submitted by a Monday deadline.
Since the note was first sent to news outlets last week, the sender has not contacted law enforcement or the Guthrie family. Investigators are still trying to determine whether the notes are genuine. There are still no suspects or persons of interest, and no suspect vehicles have been identified.
“Detectives and agents continue to conduct follow-up at multiple locations. Details of that follow-up are not being released at this time,” the Pima County, Arizona Sheriff’s Department noted on Sunday.
The Family Response
It has been eight days since Nancy disappeared. On Saturday, “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie, flanked by siblings Camron and Annie, released a video begging for their mother’s safe return and telling Nancy’s abductors, “We beg you now to return our mother to us, so that we can celebrate with her.”
“We received your message and we understand,” Savannah Guthrie said in the video. “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.”
Billboards have been placed in high-traffic areas in states near Arizona to assist in the search for the octogenarian grandmother who vanished on January 31. Police were seen leaving Annie Guthrie’s home on Sunday, wearing gloves and carrying brown bags, as the search entered its seventh day.
This story has been updated.