True Crime

Donald Trump is making it crystal clear ... if Nancy Guthrie’s kidnappers don’t bring her back alive, they could be staring down the ultimate punishment: the death penalty.

The President told the New York Post in a phone call the abductors need to release Nancy unharmed ... warning if she’s found dead, they’ll face "very, very severe -- the most severe" federal consequences.

When pressed on whether that meant the death penalty, Trump didn’t hesitate ... replying, "The most, yeah... that’s true."

The search for Nancy Guthrie is hitting new extremes ... members of the public are now crowdsourcing crypto, with one "concerned citizen" launching a GoFundMe to help bring her home.

The page, started by Tucson, Arizona native Shawn Breeden and titled "Help Find Nancy Guthrie," says the plan is to funnel donations straight to the Guthrie family so they can buy bitcoin ... hoping it’ll help pay for info about Nancy’s whereabouts.

As we reported, TMZ received an email Wednesday demanding 1 bitcoin in exchange for the alleged kidnapper’s identity. That’s no small ask -- a single bitcoin is currently worth about $65,000.

Brianna Aguilera, the 19-year-old Texas A&M student who was found dead after the school's football game against the University of Texas, died by suicide according to the Travis County Medical Examiner ... but the family still doesn't believe it.

TMZ obtained the medical examiner's report and it says "the manner of death is best classified as suicide."

In the report, the ME says toxicology testing revealed Brianna had alcohol and Delta-8-THC in her system.

The ME's report references an investigation from the Austin Police Department that found Brianna was last seen alive on the balcony of an apartment building ... 17 stories up and 169 feet above where her body was found unresponsive on the ground.

What's more, the ME says there was no indication another person was involved in Brianna's death ... at least based on the police investigation.

The FBI has a better idea of what the suspect in Nancy Guthrie's disappearance might look like ... and, they've increased the reward to aid in their efforts.

The federal agency posted a statement mere minutes ago ... announcing the reward for information leading to the location of Nancy Guthrie or the arrest and conviction of those responsible for her abduction has been raised to $100,000.

On top of the reward increase, the FBI also announced its Operational Technology Division reviewed the doorbell camera footage ... and the suspect is a male, standing 5' 9" - 5' 10" tall, with an average build. The FBI says he had a black, 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack -- a detail we also ascertained from the video.

This looks like a big update in the D4vd case ... prosecutors want to call the singer's mother, father, and brother to testify before the grand jury in California, but D4vd's family isn't giving in without a fight.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, D4vd's fam is claiming a court order summoning them to testify in California violates their due process rights.

Dawud, Colleen, and Caleb Burke, who all live in Texas, claim they were denied due process because they were given redacted versions of the affidavits used to support a lower Texas court's order summoning them to be witnesses in a California grand jury proceeding.

Savannah Guthrie's posted a series of heartfelt home videos featuring her mom, Nancy Guthrie ... and, she says there's no way she's giving up on her mom.

The NBC journalist shared the compilation on Instagram Thursday morning ... showing her, her mom and another child who is likely her sister, Annie.

The two kids are happy ... smiling and waving at the cameras in the clip -- while Nancy beams in a bright blue dress.

Donald Trump told cops "everyone" knew about Jeffrey Epstein's evil acts with underage girls ... this according to an official FBI report.

The report -- several of the millions of Epstein document pages released by Trump's Department of Justice in recent weeks -- lays out the Palm Beach Police Department's investigation into the financier during the early 2000s.

While the document is heavily redacted, it's a 2019 interview with former Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter, who confirmed as much to the Miami Herald.

The FBI says it has no knowledge of any continued communication between Savannah Guthrie's family and anyone believed to have kidnapped her mother, despite a massive, around-the-clock federal search now stretching into a second week.

In a new statement released Monday, the FBI said agents, analysts and crisis management experts have been working nonstop to reunite 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie with her family, but investigators remain in the dark when it comes to ransom-related contact.

"The FBI is not aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers," the agency said, adding it has not identified a suspect or person of interest at this time.

As the search for Nancy Guthrie continues, her church delivered a powerful and emotional message not just for her safety, but for the conscience of those who may be responsible for her abduction.

During Sunday's service, Pastor John Tittle of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church told the congregation they had been given one clear request from the Guthrie family ... pray.

"We are seeking to just honor the family's privacy and their desires," Tittle said. "It was communicated to me, 'pray.' We’re going to keep praying through this horrific ordeal."

Tittle led the church in prayer, asking God to protect the 84-year-old, allow her to feel the love surrounding her, and guide authorities in their search. But he also included a pointed plea asking that the hearts of "those who are responsible" be softened so they may do what is "humane and right."

As the Nancy Guthrie investigation now enters its second week, detectives still have no persons of interest linked to her disappearance ... according to the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

In a statement released today, the Sheriff's Department wrote, "The Nancy Guthrie investigation is ongoing. Follow-up continues at multiple locations. No suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles have been identified."

According to police, they don't plan on giving any press briefings unless significant developments occur in the case.

The search for Savannah Guthrie's missing mother took another dramatic turn late Saturday night when investigators returned to the Arizona home of the "TODAY" anchor's sister.

Authorities were inside Annie Guthrie's residence for several hours, photographing multiple rooms until about 10:30 PM local time. Reporters were kept at a distance as agents worked, with one officer seen carrying a silver briefcase into the home, raising questions about what evidence -- if any -- was collected.

Outside Annie's home, NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin documented camera flashes inside multiple rooms while several law enforcement vehicles waited nearby.

Savannah Guthrie was heavy on her colleagues’ minds this week ... with the NBC team covering the 2026 Winter Olympics taking time on-air to honor her as her family faces a nightmare back home.

As expected, "Today" show host Savannah pulled out of the Milan-Cortina coverage, with Terry Gannon and Mary Carillo stepping in Monday and making it clear their "important, beloved" teammate was deeply missed at the Opening Ceremony.

Carillo got emotional while speaking about Savannah’s love for covering Olympic opening ceremonies, adding, "Right now, of course, Savannah and her family are in unspeakable, unfathomable pain. We know in the U.S. that her extended family is legion. Savannah, my friend, it’s the same way here."

Luigi Mangione piped up for the first time in court ... claiming his case is clearly one of "double jeopardy" since he's being charged at both the state and federal level -- though it appears he's mistaken.

The alleged murderer appeared in court Friday while his legal team and federal prosecutors argued over a whole host of issues ... including whether state or federal prosecutors should get the first crack at him.

After the judge adjourned the court, officers led Luigi away ... and, he said, "One plus one is two, common sense tells you this is double jeopardy."

Moment of truth in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case ... the first deadline from the ransom letter came and went ... but the family says they still haven't heard a peep from whoever abducted her.

The first deadline lapsed at 4 PM PT Thursday ... that's when millions of dollars in bitcoin were due in exchange for Nancy's safe return.

'TODAY' host Savannah Guthrie uploaded a video of her brother, Camron Guthrie, saying the family has not gotten proof of life on Nancy ... as they've been requesting since Wednesday evening.

Finally, an arrest in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping, but it's not one of her captors ... it's a guy the feds claim sent text messages to Nancy's family asking them about bitcoin ... and the FBI says they don't believe the guy has any connection to the ransom note.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds say a Los Angeles man named Derrick Callella texted Nancy's daughter Annie and her son-in-law Tommaso Cioni, "Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction."

The FBI says the texts were sent Wednesday, shortly after 'TODAY' anchor Savannah Guthrie uploaded a video of her siblings making a plea to Nancy's captors. In the video, Savannah mentioned the ransom note, begged for proof of life and said they were ready to talk.

Savannah Guthrie says she's aware there's an alleged ransom note demanding payment for the return of her kidnapped mother, Nancy Guthrie ... and she says she's ready to talk on one condition.

In an emotional video posted on her social media Wednesday, the 'TODAY' anchor says before there can be any movement on meeting the alleged ransom's demands, she's pleading to know Nancy is alive ... and she says the rise of A.I. makes it harder to confirm if any photos, audio or videos of Nancy are legit.

TMZ was sent an alleged ransom note Tuesday and forwarded it to law enforcement. The note demanded millions of dollars in Bitcoin in exchange for Nancy, and it gave a tight deadline with an element of "or else" while also describing some things about her and her home.