Alleged Nancy Guthrie Ransom Note Came With Thursday Afternoon Deadline: FBI

Last seen on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 9:30 p.m., the 84-year-old is believed to have been kidnapped from her home sometime that night, authorities have said

NEED TO KNOW

• A reward has been announced in the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie
• Nancy was last seen at her Arizona home on Saturday, Jan. 31, where blood was found on her front steps, PEOPLE can confirm
• Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900

A ransom note that was sent to media outlets in connection with the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy Guthrie, has a deadline of 5 p.m. Thursday, the FBI said.

During a press conference on Thursday, Feb. 5 about the case, FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke said whoever wrote the ransom note set a deadline of 5 p.m. that evening.

"If a transfer wasn’t made, the second demand was for next Monday,” he said at the press conference, which was attended by PEOPLE. “I’m not going to go beyond that.”

Ransom notes received by local outlets and by TMZ did not include proof of life or a way for authorities and Nancy's worried family to communicate with the people who sent them, he said.

Janke remained tight-lipped about the multiple ransom notes, divulging little information about them.

Asked if the FBI helped Savannah and her siblings craft the emotional video message they posted on social media the night before, on Wed., Feb 4, he simply said, "We are in communication with the family. While we advise and recommend, from a law enforcement perspective, any action taken on any ransom is ultimately decided by the family."

Reported missing by her family over the weekend, authorities believe Nancy was taken against her will, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at a prior press conference on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

No suspects have been identified by police at this time, and Nanos said that he does not know if one or more persons were involved in the presumed kidnapping. One person has been arrested in connection with a fake ransom note sent in the case.

Related: Savannah Guthrie and Siblings Send Tearful Video Plea to Potential Abductor: ‘We Need to Know She Is Alive’

The mother of three was last seen around 9:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, Jan. 31, at her longtime home in Tucson. Her family reported her missing at about noon on Sunday, Feb. 1 when she missed church.

Authorities declared her home a crime scene because of “very concerning” conditions they said they found there.

Nanos confirmed on Thursday that Nancy's blood was found on her porch.

Police remain hopeful that Nancy is alive.

"We have nothing else to go on but the belief that she is here,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a new interview with NBC’s Liz Kreutz, which aired on the Today show on Wednesday, Feb. 4. “She's present. She's alive, and we want to save her."

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Savannah, 54, has not appeared on Today this week. She is with her family in Arizona while police investigate what happened to her mother. 

In a statement released to Today, which her colleagues read during Monday's broadcast, Savannah thanked everyone for their support, saying, “Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom."

The FBI has now become involved in the search, urging anyone with tips or leads to call 1-800-CALL-FBI in addition to the Pima County Sheriff’s Office number, 520-351-4900. 

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