Elizabeth Smartthe father, Ed Smartis sharing his thoughts on the demise of Savannah Guthriethe mother, Nancy Guthrie.
Ed, 70, reflected on Elizabeth’s 2002 abduction as he explained the importance of Nancy’s family sharing public pleas for her safe return home during an interview with Fox & Friends on Thursday, February 5.
“What are the chances that mom will see this?” a reporter asked Ed, referring to the nationwide search for Nancy, 84, who was reported missing on Sunday February 1.
“Well, what happened in our case is that Elizabeth heard about (the efforts to find her) from (her kidnapper) Brian David Mitchell“, Ed explained. “He would come back and say, ‘The whole country is looking for you and your family, but nobody knows because I have you.’ And so her captors let her know that there was a search, that we were out there calling her.”
The search to find Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother, Nancy Guthrie, is “a race against time,” according to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos. Nanos appeared during the Tuesday, Feb. 3 broadcast of the Today show and said he hopes “that window hasn’t closed” as the investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy continues. “We took some samples that (…)
Elizabeth, now 38, was 14 when she was kidnapped from their home in Utah by Mitchell, 70, and his wife, Wanda Barzee. She was held captive for nine months before being found alive.
According to Ed, families of kidnapped individuals often issue public statements to appeal to their captors and let their loved ones know that they are looking for them. Nancy’s children, Savannah54, annie56 i Cameron61, did just that in a video statement on Wednesday, February 4.
“Nancy is our mother, we are her children. She is our lighthouse,” Annie said in the video. “She clings to joy and every circumstance in life. She chooses joy day after day even though she’s already been through great trials of pain and sorrow. We’ll always be just human. Just normal human people who need our mom. Mom, if you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you.”
Addressing an alleged ransom note sent to TMZ and local media earlier this week, Savannah added: “We’ve also heard the reports of a rescue letter in the media. As a family, we’re doing everything we can. We’re ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a shadow of a doubt that she’s alive and that you have her. Please, we’re ready to hear from you.
Savannah Guthrie and mom Nancy
Courtesy of NBC NewsEd said that speaking directly to the kidnappers is “crucially important”.
“Let them know that they are trying to comply with everything that is said, that they want to resolve this and bring their mother home,” he added.
Ed also said that even though Nancy can’t see or hear her children’s messages directly, it’s important for her to know that a search is underway.
“It’s hard to know if Nancy can hear or not, but it’s important to make that effort,” he continued. “Giving him hope at a very difficult time and keeping his hopes up that this will be resolved and he’ll be back with his family, nothing could be more important.”
New details are emerging about an alleged ransom note received in the case of Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother, Nancy Guthrie. During an appearance on CNN on Wednesday, February 4, Mary Coleman, anchor of Arizona’s KOLD 13 News, described the alleged emailed memo, saying it was “clear after a couple of sentences” that (…)
Nancy was last seen in Tucson, Arizona on Saturday, January 31st. Her family reported her missing the next day after a church friend noticed that Nancy did not attend that morning’s service. When Nancy’s family checked her house, they realized she was gone.
Police believe Nancy was abducted because of mobility issues that made her unable to go out on her own, as well as “danger” signs in your home.
“It has to do with what was described to us about the scene,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said exclusively. Us Weekly. “I’ve been doing this for 50 years. When something doesn’t sit right, it doesn’t sit right. Something unusual happened in that house that made us say, ‘Wow… something’s wrong here.’ Something doesn’t add up.”
Police have not yet identified a motive for a possible kidnapping or a suspect in the case.