Nancy Guthrie could have been kidnapped from her Arizona home as part of a 'revenge' plot, a retired FBI agent has suggested.
Authorities have not identified a motive or any suspects in the case as the search for Savannah Guthrie's missing mother entered its sixth day.
But former FBI supervisor agent James Gagliano says the ransom note demanding Bitcoin funds is the 'most compelling piece of evidence thus far'.
'Kidnappings happen for one of two reasons: it's either for profit or it's for revenge,' Gagliano, a crisis negotiation expert, told Fox & Friends Friday morning.
He highlighted how for decades high-profile individuals have been the targets of kidnappings, including Frank Sinatra Jr and newspaper heiress Patty Hearst.
Former FBI Agent Says Case Does Not Fit Typical Kidnappings
Guthrie's abduction, however, is 'baffling and beguiling' because it 'does not meet muster with any of the traditional type of kidnappings', Gagliano explained.
'We still don't know if this was a targeted attack, if this was a targeted abduction,' he continued, before addressing 'very strange' way the alleged captors contacted the Guthrie family.
Gagliano said it is unusual for an abductor to provide a ransom note to the media instead of delivering it directly to the victim's family.
He added that the 'multiple deadlines' detailed in the notes are also peculiar.
'Normally when captors put out multiple deadlines there is a negative consequence if law enforcement or the family doesn't meet the first one,' the former agent said.
Gagliano Notes Time Gap
'The family has been pleading for the captors to reach out to them and directly negotiate with them and sadly, that has not happened as of yet.'
Gagliano also pointed to a devastating possibility that, due to Tucson's close proximity to the southern border, she was long out of the United States before anyone even knew she had been taken.
'The border is 60 miles away. And, you know, with that 12-hour, 10-hour gap...that is a long period of time,' he said.
'These people, the person or people who did this, they could have been a long way away before anyone would have been alerted at church the next morning that Ms Guthrie was missing.'
Authorities believe the-84-year-old was taken against her will from her home in Tucson over the weekend. DNA tests showed blood found on Guthrie's front porch was a match to her, the sheriff said.
'Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home,' Pine County Sheriff Nanos Chris said at a news conference Thursday. He acknowledged, however, that authorities have no evidence she's OK.
Investigators Review Ransom Notes Sent to Media
Investigators said they are taking seriously notes seeking ransom that were sent to some media outlets. It's unclear if all of the notes were identical.
Heith Janke, the FBI chief in Phoenix, said details included a demand for money with a Thursday evening deadline and a second deadline for Monday if the first one wasn't met. At least one note mentioned a floodlight at Guthrie's home and an Apple watch.
'To anyone who may be involved, do the right thing. This is an 84-year-old grandma,' Janke said.
At least three media organizations reported receiving purported ransom notes, which they handed over to investigators. Authorities made an arrest after one ransom note turned out to be fake, the sheriff said.
A note e-mailed Monday to the KOLD-TV newsroom in Tucson included information that only the abductor would know, anchor Mary Coleman told CNN.
Man Arrested In Connection With Fake Ransom Demand
'When we saw some of those details, it was clear after a couple of sentences that this might not be a hoax,' she said.
Los Angeles resident Derrick Callella was arrested Thursday after texting Guthrie's daughter Annie and son-in-law Tommaso Cioni demanding Bitcoin payments, according to a criminal complaint.
He contacted the family shortly after Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, Annie and their brother Camron posted a video to Instagram begging for their mother's return.
Callella allegedly admitted to sending the messages and told investigators he was 'just trying to see if the family would respond.'
The sheriff said it's possible Nancy Guthrie was targeted, but if she was, investigators still don't know if that's because her daughter is one of TV's most visible anchors.
Authorities say any decision on whether to fulfill ransom demands ultimately is up to the family.
Report: Police move that may have doomed search for Savannah Guthrie's mother Nancy
The sheriff leading the search for missing Nancy Guthrie is facing mounting allegations that his mismanagement crippled the crucial early stages of the investigation.
Multiple sources close to the Pima County Sheriff's Department have told the Daily Mail that Sheriff Chris Nanos made a series of missteps that slowed the initial response - including the handling of the crime scene and contradictory messages being issued to the public.
We can now reveal that, according to those insiders, a vital search-and-rescue aircraft was grounded in the initial hours of the investigation when it was needed most.
Nanos' office allegedly failed to deploy its fixed-wing Cessna aircraft, known as Survey 1, during the make-or-break initial phase after Nancy was reported missing her home in Tucson, Arizona, on Sunday.
The aircraft, equipped with high-resolution thermal imaging cameras capable of scanning vast swaths of desert terrain, remained on the tarmac for roughly half a day, sources said, despite a situation in which every minute can mean the difference between life and death.
According to Sergeant Aaron Cross, president of the Pima County Sheriff's Deputies Association, the aircraft is 'the most valuable law enforcement asset in southern Arizona.'