During the first part of Savannah Guthrie‘s emotional interview with Hoda Kotb, she revealed that she believed many of the ransom notes her family got were fake.
The former “Today” co-host couldn’t hold back her tears as she blamed herself for her mom’s abduction, suggesting that the kidnapper knew she was rich and wanted to use the kidnapping to “make a quick buck.”
Savannah Guthrie also expressed fears that the armed masked man caught on her mom’s Ring camera system is the person her mom has had to put up with all these times, calling the experience “terrifying.”
Savannah Guthrie Believes Many Of The Ransom Notes Were Fake
Savannah poured out her heart in the first part of an emotional tell-all with Kotb, as they discussed issues related to her mom, Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
During their conversation, the 54-year-old TV host shared that she believes many ransom notes that were sent to her family in connection with Nancy’s abduction were fake, except for two, which she thought were genuine.
“There are a lot of different notes, I think that came, and I think most of them … are not real, and I didn’t see them,” she said in the interview, which aired on Thursday. “But I believe the two notes that we received that we responded to, I tend to believe those are real.”
“But, you know, a person that would send a fake ransom note … really has to look deeply at themselves … to a family in pain,” she added, per the New York Post.
The Journalist And Her Family Received Several Ransom Notes
Savannah and her family members received tons of ransom notes making several demands after her mom went missing from her Tucson, Arizona home on February 1.
In one note that was sent to TMZ, it was stated that Nancy was “safe but scared,” with the suspected abductors demanding that millions in bitcoin be paid to avoid “consequential” repercussions.
When Savannah announced an increase in the reward from $500,000 to $1 million, authorities were flooded with thousands of tips, with even more ransom notes sent to other media outlets, some claiming to only have info on the kidnapper.
In the meantime, it remains unclear which two ransom notes Savannah thought were real or which ones her family responded to.
Savannah Guthrie Says Suspect Must Have Been ‘Terrifying’ To Her Mom
As investigations continued, authorities released the photo of an armed masked man that was seen on camera loitering around Nancy’s door post the evening she disappeared.
Reacting to the photo, Savannah said it was “terrifying” to see and expressed sadness at the thought of her mother having to face such an individual in her home.
“I mean, it’s just absolutely terrifying,” she said of the suspect’s images. “I can’t imagine that that is who [her mom] saw standing over her bed. It’s too much.”
The ‘Today’ Host Called The Need To Make Videos Pleading For Her Mother’s Freedom ‘Surreal’
Guthrie noted in the interview that having to film videos demanding for her mom’s release, or for people with information to come forward, is “surreal.”
The NBC star and her siblings have made multiple videos, which they posted on social media, pleading with the suspected kidnappers to get in contact with them.
In one video, they asked for confirmation that their mother was safe, while expressing willingness to pay the ransom money.
“How is it possible that we are having to make a video? Speaking to a kidnapper who took an 84-year-old woman. In the dead of night, in her pajamas with no shoes, without her medicine, this little person. And to beg for mercy,” she said.
Savannah Guthrie Seemingly Blamed Herself For Her Mother’s Kidnapping
Elsewhere in her conversation with Kotb, Savannah got tearful while seemingly blaming herself for her mom’s kidnapping.
She told Kotb that money was probably a motivation for the kidnapper, and knowing she had it, they took it upon themselves to carry out the act.
“It’s too much to bear, to think that I brought this to her bedside … and it’s because of me,” she said. “I’m so sorry, Mommy. I’m so sorry… to my sister and my brother and my kids and my nephew and my brother-in-law. I’m so sorry if it is me.”
“I don’t know that it’s because she’s my mom and somebody thought, ‘That girl has money, we could make a quick buck.’ That would make sense,” she added.
The second part of Savannah’s interview with Kotb will be released on Friday.