{"id":458511,"date":"2026-02-06T22:45:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T22:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/458511\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T22:45:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T22:45:09","slug":"why-elizabeth-smarts-father-believes-savannah-guthries-family-spoke-directly-to-kidnappers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/458511\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Elizabeth Smart\u2019s Father Believes Savannah Guthrie\u2019s Family Spoke Directly to Kidnappers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Ed Smart, whose daughter, Elizabeth Smart, was kidnapped in 2002 at age 14 from their Utah home, says making a public plea for Nancy Guthrie is strategic<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">On Wed., Feb. 4, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings posted an emotional video pleading for their elderly mother&#8217;s safe return<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Nancy, 84, is believed to have been abducted from her Tucson, Ariz., home on Sat., Jan. 31<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The tearful video <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/savannah-guthrie\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Savannah Guthrie;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Savannah Guthrie<\/a> and her siblings posted pleading with their mother&#8217;s potential kidnappers for proof of life was heartbreaking \u2014 and very necessary, says Ed Smart.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Talking directly to those that have taken her, the abductors, is crucially important,&#8221; Smart said Thursday, Feb. 5, on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/shows\/fox-and-friends\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Fox &amp; Friends.\u00a0;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Fox &amp; Friends.\u00a0<\/a>&#8220;That they know that they&#8217;re trying to comply with everything that&#8217;s being said, that they want to resolve this and bring their mother home.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Like the Today show host&#8217;s 84-year-old mother, <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/sheriff-believes-savannah-guthrie-missing-mom-nancy-alive-11899097\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Nancy Guthrie;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Nancy Guthrie<\/a>, whom authorities believe was abducted from her Tucson, Ariz., home in the middle of the night on Sat., Jan. 31, Smart&#8217;s daughter, Elizabeth Smart, was taken from her Utah bedroom in the early morning hours of June 5, 2002 at 14.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Annie Guthrie, Savannah Guthrie, and Camron Guthrie Savannah Guthrie\/Instagram\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/8073636297e4605d3847a0ff96331c51.jpeg\"\/>Annie Guthrie, Savannah Guthrie, and Camron Guthrie <\/p>\n<p>Savannah Guthrie\/Instagram<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">For ten long months, <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/elizabeth-smart-opens-up-like-never-before-netflix-doc-exclusive-11884515\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Smart;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Smart <\/a>pleaded publicly for his daughter&#8217;s safe return, wondering all the while how she was doing and if she was even alive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/elizabeth-smart-opens-up-like-never-before-netflix-doc-exclusive-11884515\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Elizabeth Smart Opens Up Like Never Before 24 Years After Kidnapping: &#039;Family Was the Reason I Wanted to Survive&#039; (Exclusive);elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Elizabeth Smart Opens Up Like Never Before 24 Years After Kidnapping: &#8216;Family Was the Reason I Wanted to Survive&#8217; (Exclusive)<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Not knowing is one of the worst things out there,&#8221; Smart told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/02\/06\/us\/video\/sidner-ed-smart-nancy-guthrie-cnc\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:CNN News Central;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">CNN News Central<\/a> on Friday, Feb. 6. &#8220;Not knowing what Elizabeth was going through, how was she was surviving, and all of these questions, of course, apply to Nancy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In March 2003, Elizabeth was reunited with her family after being spotted with her captors, <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/elizabeth-smart-talks-about-sexual-assault-as-a-teen-11884966\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee<\/a>. Mitchell remains in prison serving a life sentence in connection with the kidnapping. Barzee was released from prison in 2018.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">On Wed., Feb. 4, Savannah and her siblings posted the emotional video to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/savannahguthrie\/reels\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Instagram;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Instagram<\/a> addressing the captors directly, saying, &#8220;We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/savannah-guthrie-and-siblings-send-tearful-video-plea-to-potential-abductor-we-need-to-know-she-is-alive-11898941\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Savannah Guthrie and Siblings Send Tearful Video Plea to Potential Abductor: \u2018We Need to Know She Is Alive\u2019;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Savannah Guthrie and Siblings Send Tearful Video Plea to Potential Abductor: \u2018We Need to Know She Is Alive\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">They were responding to ransom notes TMZ and two local outlets received earlier this week for Nancy, whose family called 911 on Sunday, Feb. 1, at noon when she failed to show up at church.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/nancy-guthrie-ransom-note-deadline-11899556\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Alleged Nancy Guthrie Ransom Note Came with Thursday Afternoon Deadline: FBI;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Alleged Nancy Guthrie Ransom Note Came with Thursday Afternoon Deadline: FBI<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">One person has been <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/individual-arrested-imposter-ransom-demand-savannah-guthrie-mom-nancy-11899709\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:arrested and accused of falsifying one of the ransom notes;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">arrested and accused of falsifying one of the ransom notes <\/a>connected to Nancy&#8217;s disappearance, authorities said at a press conference on Thursday, Feb. 5.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Nancy was last seen when she was dropped off at her house sometime around 9:30 p.m. after she had dinner with her daughter Annie, 56, and her husband at their nearby home, according to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/timeline-savannah-guthrie-mom-disappearance-shared-by-police-11900602\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Timeline of Savannah Guthrie&#039;s Mom&#039;s Disappearance Shared by Police as They Reveal New Details of Early Morning Movements;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Timeline of Savannah Guthrie&#8217;s Mom&#8217;s Disappearance Shared by Police as They Reveal New Details of Early Morning Movements<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Authorities believe the grandmother <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/savannah-guthrie-mom-nancy-kidnapping-sheriff-no-clue-number-suspects-11898527\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:was taken against her will;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">was taken against her will<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">During a press conference on Thursday, Feb. 5, authorities confirmed that a trail of what appears to be blood on the front steps of the Tucson, Ariz., home is Nancy&#8217;s.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Nanos said authorities believe Nancy is still alive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.dotdashmeredith.com\/people-true-crime%22%3EPEOPLE%27%3Cem%3Eshttps:\/\/forms.dotdashmeredith.com\/people-true-crime\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:PEOPLE;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">PEOPLE<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.dotdashmeredith.com\/people-true-crime%22%3EPEOPLE%27%3Cem%3Eshttps:\/\/forms.dotdashmeredith.com\/people-true-crime\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:&#039;s free True Crime newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">&#8216;s free True Crime newsletter<\/a> for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Savannah, 54, has been absent from the Today show since Monday. She has been in Arizona with her family.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s Office number, 520-351-4900.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/elizabeth-smart-father-on-nancy-guthrie-11901258\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:People;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">People<\/a><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEED TO KNOW Ed Smart, whose daughter, Elizabeth Smart, was kidnapped in 2002 at age 14 from their&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":458512,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[49,48,187678,146716,75,185457,50922,348],"class_list":{"0":"post-458511","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-ed-smart","11":"tag-elizabeth-smart","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-nancy-guthrie","14":"tag-savannah-guthrie","15":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458511\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/458512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}