Family Seeks Two-Way Contact, Proof of Life in Kidnapping (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: During the time of my various roles in the LAPD, the FBI, and the NYPD, I worked on a number of different kidnapping cases in different roles. One thing we learned is elderly victims, typically, statistically, are kidnapped by somebody that they knew, or worked for them, or had a connection with them, and the motive is almost always money. But in this case, there are no suspects. So in a gut-wrenching video, we want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen. Savannah Guthrie and her family had to reach out to whoever sent that ransom note.

[00:00:36] Speaker 2: We need you to reach out, and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward.

[00:00:41] Speaker 1: Why is it so important to make two-way contact? Well, if they're dealing with the person who made that ransom demand, what they're going to need is a proof of life.

[00:00:51] Speaker 2: But first, we have to know that you have our mom.

[00:00:54] Speaker 3: We live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know, without a doubt, that she is alive, and that you have her.

[00:01:09] Speaker 1: So in the age of AI and deep fakes, how do you know a proof of life is really proof? How do you know it's real? Ideally, the family would be able to get to talk to their mom over some kind of digital connection to be able to ask her questions and get answers in a spontaneous conversation, elicit information that only she would know. That would be proof of life. Now, it may be a tall ask from a kidnapper, but anyone sophisticated enough to set up a hidden email address or encrypted channels to receive cryptocurrency presumably would have the capability to use tools to set up a digital communications portal where they could have that conversation. In the meantime, not only is the family asking to talk to the kidnapper and to talk to their mom, but they're also asking the kidnapper to talk to their mom to learn that she's not just a commodity, someone with a price tag, but that she is a real person and someone who deserves better than this.

[00:02:09] Speaker 3: Our mom is a kind, faithful, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light. She's funny, spunky, and clever. She has grandchildren that adore her and crowd around her and cover her with kisses. Talk to her and you'll see.