Savannah Guthrie's former colleague urges NBC to pay mother's ransom

Savannah Guthrie's former co-worker Billy Bush has said that NBC should 'easily' pay the $6 million ransom being demanded for the safe return of her mother Nancy. The former Today show co-host discussed the unfolding ordeal during an appearance on The Sunday Briefing on Fox News, calling the situation surreal and emotionally devastating for his longtime friend. Nancy Guthrie, 84, vanished from her home on February 1, without her medication. Investigators believe she was kidnapped - but say there are still no suspects. Bush said the ransom demand - which was received by a local news outlet earlier this week - itself gives him reason to feel 'very hopeful and optimistic,' arguing that the size of the payment should be no obstacle for NBC.

'The report is that Monday by 5:00 o'clock they want a $6 million bitcoin ransom; that means Nancy Guthrie is well. And $6 million for NBC is, well, a quick-hit send,' Bush (pictured) said. 'They should be able to get that done very easily.' The ransom message was reportedly sent to a local ArizonaTV station, with the kidnappers demanding the payment by Monday evening. Bush told anchor Peter Doocy the bizarre circumstances feel more like something out of a fictional thriller than real life. He said the emotional toll on Savannah Guthrie has been devastating- particularly in the 22‑second video she posted Saturday night, pleading directly with her mother's abductors.

Joined by her siblings Camron and Annie, the Today co‑anchor appeared emotionally spent as she assured the abductors the family would cooperate. 'We received your message and we understand,' Savannah Guthrie said. 'We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay.' Bush said the clip made clear how overwhelmed she has become in the nine days since her mother vanished. '[She was] notably more beaten down, sad, wearing the same clothes as she was wearing in the first one,' he said of Savannah's newest video. 'She's obviously getting no sleep at all.'

He emphasized that paying the ransom is the only viable route to getting Nancy Guthrie home safely, and could ultimately help authorities locate and hold the perpetrators accountable. Bush said that once Nancy is returned, investigators can move swiftly to track down the suspects and ensure they face what he called the 'ultimate consequence.' The search for Savannah Guthrie's mother Nancy has entered its ninth day - with investigators seen probing a septic tank at the 84-year-old woman's home.

On Sunday, Fox News shared footage from the property in Tucson, Arizona, showing law enforcement officials using a pole to check inside a manhole behind the house. An official vehicle has also been spotted outside the residence. Nancy was last seen on January 31 and was reported missing on the morning of February 1 after members of her church told her family that she did not attend a service that morning. When her family members went to check on her, she was nowhere to be found - prompting them to call the police. Police believe that Nancy is alive, as Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told reporters on Friday night: 'What I believe is that Nancy was removed from her home against her will, and that we need to find her. That's what I believe. She's still alive.'