The single-storey brick home sits back from the road, surrounded by desert scrub and saguaro cacti. A handmade sign at the end of the drive reads: 'Dear Guthrie family, your neighbours stand with you.' Behind it, sheriff's deputies now maintain a round-the-clock presence.

Nancy Guthrie's family asked for police protection at the $1.1 million (£890,000) Tucson property more than a week after the 84-year-old vanished. What makes the request particularly unsettling is what investigators found there: blood confirmed through DNA testing to belong to Guthrie herself.

The Pima County Sheriff's Departmentannounced on Sundayit would station officers outside the residence 'at the request of the Guthrie family.' The media and the public were warned to respect private property laws. Violations, the department said, would be enforced.

It's a far cry from the quiet life Guthrie built here over five decades. She and her late husband Charles bought the five-bedroom home in 1975 for $85,000 (£69,000). He died in 1988. She stayed. Alone, mostly, raising three children who would go on to make names for themselves - including Savannah, now co-host of NBC's Today show.

A post shared by Savannah Guthrie (@savannahguthrie)

Saturday brought a video that felt both desperate and oddly formal. Savannah Guthrie sat flanked by her siblings Annie and Camron, speaking directly to whoever took their mother.

'We received your message, and we understand,' she said. The words were measured, careful. 'We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.'

FormerFBIDeputy Director Andrew McCabetold CNNthere was no doubt the Bureau helped craft that statement. 'Every word of that statement was carefully honed with the assistance of the FBI experts who are advising the family,' he said. It showed.

Multiple news outlets have received what appear to be ransom notes. Local station KGUN 9 initially reported a demand for $6 million (£4.9 million) in bitcoin by 5 p.m. Monday. The station later pulled that figure. Nobody has confirmed whether any of these notes is genuine. Some could be hoaxes, Sheriff Chris Nanos acknowledged, an 'absolute possibility,' he called it.

A post shared by Savannah Guthrie (@savannahguthrie)

Source: International Business Times UK