President Donald Trump said Monday he would direct the Justice Department to seek the death penalty against Nancy Guthrie’s alleged kidnappers if she is killed.
The president first told the New York Post that the individuals would face “very, very, severe ― the most severe” consequences if she were found dead. When pressed if that meant he would want the Justice Department to pursue the death penalty, Trump replied, “The most, yeah ― that’s true.”
Earlier Trump struck an optimistic tone about the case on Truth Social. “Hopefully there will be a positive result!!” Trump wrote after praising Fox News’ coverage of the investigation and the “expertise and knowledge” of others.
Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie, hasn’t been seen since Jan. 31 and no proof of life has emerged. Messages for ransom and from informants seeking a cash reward have surfaced at times.
In recent developments, law enforcement released images of an armed, masked suspect wearing gloves at the door of Guthrie’s Tucson-area home, from which she is suspected to have been taken.
