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Security expert Dan Donovan is weighing in on possible next steps as the search for Savannah Guthrie’s mom, Nancy Guthrie, continues.
“The 5 p.m. deadline isn’t the end of the clock — it’s the start of the most dangerous window,” Donovan, founder and managing partner of security and risk management firm Stratoscope Holdings, exclusively told Us Weekly on Monday, February 9. “Deadlines in ransom notes are often less about money and more about control.”
There have been several reports that Savannah and her family received a ransom note, which was sent to several news outlets, demanding $6 million in bitcoin in exchange for Nancy’s return. The NBC anchor and her siblings — Annie and Camron Guthrie — appeared to speak directly to their mother’s alleged kidnappers in a video shared via social media on Saturday, February 7.
“We received your message and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her,” Savannah said in the video while holding her siblings’ hands. “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay.”
The FBI revealed in a press conference last week that the ransom note had two deadlines, the latest being Monday at 5 p.m.
“What makes this especially concerning is that, publicly at least, there’s been no confirmed proof of life,” Donovan, a nationally recognized expert in high-risk security operations, explained to Us. “And without proof of life, you’re not negotiating a ransom — you’re negotiating uncertainty.”
He added, “That’s why the priority in the final hours isn’t rushing or reacting. It’s maintaining control of communication and pushing for verification.”
Donovan also gave insight on his experience with hostage negotiation, telling Us that it’s less about “persuasion” and more about “stabilization.”
“You’re not trying to win them over, you’re trying to keep them calm enough to keep her alive,” he added. “Communication is leverage. Silence is uncertainty. And uncertainty is where tragedy happens.”
News broke on February 1 that Nancy, 84, had been reported missing from her Arizona home after she failed to show up for church. He was last seen on January 31, after being allegedly dropped off at home by son-in-law Tomasso Cioni.
Savannah has taken time away from her Today show cohosting duties to be with her family as the search continues. The authorities have continued to conduct an investigation into Nancy’s disappearance, offering updates via press conferences and social media statements.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has continued to tell the public that no person or persons of interest has been identified or taken into custody. No news briefings have been scheduled for this week as the search continues.
Nanos confirmed to Us earlier this month that “something unusual occurred” in Nancy’s home that led to authorities treating it as a crime scene.
“We don’t want anybody to lose hope. But in the same sense, just as there’s hope, there’s also things that point to us that say, ‘This lady’s in danger,’” he said during the February 2 interview. “It does have to do with what was described to us about the scene. I’ve been doing this for 50 years. When something doesn’t sit well, it doesn’t sit well.”
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