Authorities on Friday said they were "aware of a new message regarding Nancy Guthrie". They are "inspecting the information provided in the message for its accuracy". The new development comes amid public pleas from the Guthrie family for proof that their mother is still alive and after the first deadline in one of the alleged ransom letters passed on Thursday evening. The 84-year-old is believed to have been taken from her home in Tucson, Arizona, last weekend. Police are offering a reward of USD 50,000 (36,000 pound) for information.

The statement from the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff's Department did not specify who received the note, or any details that it may have contained. A presenter for a local affiliate of CBS News told the BBC that her channel received the "message". It is unclear if it was sent to other media outlets. On Thursday, Camron Guthrie - the son of the missing woman - renewed the family's plea, and confirmed that the family had not had any direct contact with kidnappers. "We have to know that you have our mum," Camron said in the family's latest video message. "We want to talk to you." "We haven't heard anything directly," he said in the video, posted on Thursday just after 17:00 local time in Arizona (00:00 GMT). "We need you to reach out, and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward." (BBC)