Savannah Guthrie says she believes at least some of the ransom notes sent to her family following the disappearance of her mom, Nancy Guthrie, are real.
"There are a lot of different notes, I think that came. And I think most of them, it's my understanding, are not real," Guthrie told friend Hoda Kotb in a new "Today" interview segment released Thursday, March 26. "But I believe the two notes that we received that we responded to, I tend to believe those were real."
Law enforcement have determined that at least one of the ransom notes sent to the Guthrie family following the possible abduction of their mother is fake. A California man, Derrick Callella, was arrested and charged with sending a demand for ransom in February.
Guthrie condemned the fake demands.
"A person that would send a fake ransom note" to a family in pain, she said, "really has to look deeply at themselves."
Savannah Guthrie reacts to conspiracies about family's involvement
Guthrie said when the doorbell camera video surfaced of a suspect in her mom's apparent abduction, it was "just absolutely terrifying," adding: "I can't imagine that is who she saw standing over her bed. I can't, it's too much."
Guthrie said she was "grateful" to investigators and the tech company that was able to retrieve the footage, especially given it may have stymied "unbearable" conspiracy theories that suggested someone in her family could be involved.
"I hope, at least with people of good heart and compassion, [that would] stop the irresponsible and cruel speculation that had started to swirl," Guthrie continued. "It's pain upon pain. There are no words. I'll never understand."
On Feb. 16, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos addressed online speculation over the Guthrie family or their spouses being suspects in the case, noting they have been "100% cooperative" and were cleared "in the first few days."
"No one took better care of my mom than my sister and brother-in-law," Guthrie continued. "No one protected my mom more than my brother. She's all we have."
Nancy Guthrie has not been seen since Saturday, Jan. 31, with her family reporting she was missing the following morning. She regularly gathered with friends and neighbors to watch church service online, but on Sunday when she did not show up to a friend's home, they called her daughter Annie, who lives nearby, a source close to the family told NBC News.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department has said they believe she was taken from her home against her will.
Law enforcement officials emphasized that the search for the 84-year-old remained an active investigation, although public announcements about new developments have dried up as of late.
Savannah Guthrie has continued to urge fans and the public to reach out to authorities with any relevant information. On Sunday, March 22, the star shared the latest statement from her family, which was previously provided to the Arizona station KVOA-News 4 Tucson. They asked for "renewed attention" to the case and urged the public to consult "camera footage, journal notes, text messages, observations or conversations that in retrospect may hold significance."
"We continue to believe it is Tucsonans, and the greater Southern Arizona community, that hold the key to finding a resolution in this case," the Guthrie family said. "Someone knows something. It's possible a member of this community has information that they do not even realize is significant."
Law enforcement asks anyone with information to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov, the Pima County Sheriff's Department (520-351-4900) or 88-CRIME.
Contributing: Edward Segarra and Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY