The absence of proof of life, clear payment instructions or meaningful communication makes the reported kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, increasingly troubling as time passes, Harvard law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz said on Newsmax on Saturday.
"I'm not smiling because I'm a realist, and I think the likelihood that there is a ransom demand for a live person diminishes every day," Dershowitz told "Saturday Report."
Guthrie was forcibly taken from her home in Tucson, Arizona, nearly a week ago.
Authorities said Friday they are reviewing a new message in the case, according to The New York Times.
The message was received by Tucson television station KOLD one day after Nancy Guthrie's son, Camron, reiterated the family's plea for her safe return.
KOLD forwarded the message to law enforcement and did not make its contents public.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI acknowledged the message but released no additional details.
It was not clear whether the message was connected to a purported ransom note sent to news outlets earlier in the week, the Times reported.
Meanwhile, TMZ reported that it received a ransom note demanding millions of dollars in bitcoin for Guthrie's safe return and suggested she may no longer be in Arizona.
TMZ founder Harvey Levin said the note included information stating Guthrie was somewhere on the West Coast or possibly northern Mexico and circled an area where that location might be.
Dershowitz said a legitimate ransom scheme would typically include instructions on how to pay.
"If you are a rational ransom seeker, the first thing you would do is give instructions where to send the bitcoin, where to send the money," he said.
The family has said it will not negotiate unless proof of life is provided. Dershowitz said he would advise against making that a precondition.
"If I were the family, I would say, let's have negotiations even before you provide proof of life," he said. "Obviously we'll seek proof of life, but I wouldn't make that a condition of negotiations."
He said several key elements remain missing.
"The things that are most important is no place to send the money, no proof of life and no reciprocity on having conversations," Dershowitz said. "That makes me a realist."
While expressing hope for a positive outcome, he said the passage of time is concerning.
"I still hope and pray that she's safe, but as a realist, I think every day that passes makes that somewhat less likely," he said.
Asked whether motives other than money could be involved, Dershowitz said the communications do not point in that direction.
"It's possible, but the notes don't suggest that at all," he said. "I think this is about money, but I don't know."
He also referenced troubling evidence reported at the scene.
"The blood at the scene suggests the possibility that a kidnapping went bad and a bad result ensued," Dershowitz said, "and now the kidnappers are trying to make the most of it."
Even under that scenario, he said, communication would still be expected.
"But even so, I think they would provide some way of paying the money," he said.
Dershowitz said the family's public appeals are understandable but emphasized the importance of reopening dialogue.
"The family can't do anything but go on television and plead," he said. "I understand them doing that, and that's the right thing to do."
"Do not condition it on proof of life," Dershowitz added. "Unconditionally ask for a renewed conversation. At least then you can begin to have a discussion."
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