MANSFIELD, Conn. (AP) — A freight train derailed Thursday in Connecticut, sending cars carrying flammable liquid propane into the water, though officials say they don't appear to be leaking.
Local and state officials said the derailment happened around 9 a.m. in Mansfield, near where Eagleville Lake meets the Willimantic River. The rural town in the eastern part of the state is home to the University of Connecticut.
Mansfield Fire Chief John Roache said in an afternoon briefing that a number of the train's 41 cars detached and derailed.
Four carrying liquid propane ended up in the water, while two others carrying food grade grease landed on the banks.
One of the grease cars sustained damage and leaked about 2,000 gallons (7,500 liters) of the animal fat, according to Roache. The leak has since been contained and there's no evidence the grease entered the water.
Roache added that no injuries were reported and the cause of the derailment remains under investigation. The train had been heading south from Palmer, Massachusetts, to Willimantic.
Town officials said late Thursday that a shelter-in-place order issued hours earlier for those living within half a mile (.8 kilometers) of the derailment would remain in effect, though they stressed no evacuations have been ordered.
They continued to urge residents to remain indoors as the liquid propane the train was carrying is odorless and wouldn't be immediately detected by smell.
The derailment also prompted the town to close a nearby road and consider alternative bus routes for school dismissal.
Mansfield Town Manager Ryan Aylesworth said there doesn't appear to be any serious environmental damage from the derailment. State and local hazardous materials teams were monitoring for leaks and placed hazmat booms in the water as a precaution.
“Fortunately, it seems under control,” Aylesworth said.
Tom Ciuba, a spokesperson for New England Central Railroad, said specialized equipment is expected to arrive Thursday evening to help begin rerailing the affected cars.
Roache said the recovery process could take days, given the derailment happened in a fairly remote location and under difficult, frigid conditions for responders.
“It's not going to be a today operation,” he said. “They're going to have to get some cranes in there. It's going to take some time.”
This story has been corrected to show that the University of Connecticut is located in Mansfield, not to the west of it.
Crews inspect the scene after a freight train derailment, in Mansfield, Conn., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant via AP)
Crews inspect the scene after a freight train derailment, in Mansfield, Conn., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant via AP)
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Investigators have no proof that the missing mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie is still alive but are holding out hope she's “still out there,” a sheriff in Arizona said Thursday.
Five days into the desperate search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, authorities have not identified any suspects or persons of interest, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.
DNA tests showed blood found on Guthrie’s front porch was a match to her, the sheriff said. Authorities think she was taken against her will from her home in Tucson over the weekend.
“Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home,” Nanos said at a news conference. The sheriff, however, acknowledged that authorities have no evidence she's OK.
Investigators gave a more detailed timeline from the hours after she was last seen Saturday night, and said they are taking seriously a ransom note sent to a handful of media outlets.
The note included a demand for money with a deadline set for Thursday evening and a second one for Monday if the first deadline wasn't met, said Heith Janke, the FBI chief in Phoenix. The note also had details about a floodlight at Guthrie's home and an Apple watch.
“To anyone who may be involved, do the right thing. This is an 84-year-old grandma,” Janke said.
Authorities say any decision on ransom demands ultimately is up to the family.
A day earlier, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings released a message to her mother’s kidnapper, saying they are ready to talk but want proof their mom is still alive. However, there's been no response to their plea so far, Janke said.
Nancy Guthrie spent Saturday night eating dinner and playing games with family members before one of them dropped her off at her home in a well-to-do Tucson neighborhood that sits on hilly, desert terrain, the sheriff said.
About four hours later, just before 2 a.m. Sunday, the home’s doorbell camera was disconnected, Nanos said. But Guthrie did not have an active subscription so the company was unable to recover any footage.
Software data recorded movement at the home minutes later, the sheriff said, acknowledging that the motion could have come from an animal.
Then at 2:28 a.m. the app on Guthrie’s pacemaker was disconnected from her phone.
Guthrie was reported missing shortly before noon Sunday after she didn’t show up at a church.
While she is able to drive and her mind is sharp, the sheriff said she does have difficulty walking even short distances. She also requires daily medicine that's vital to her health, he has said.
A sheriff’s dispatcher said during the search Sunday that Guthrie has high blood pressure and heart issues, according to audio from broadcastify.com.
Investigators searched in and around Nancy Guthrie’s home again for several hours Wednesday.
Authorities are bringing more resources and people into the investigation, and the FBI announced Thursday it was offering up to $50,000 for information. A day earlier, President Donald Trump posted on social media that he was directing federal authorities to help where they can.
At least three media organizations have reported receiving purported ransom notes, which they handed over to investigators. Authorities made an arrest after a ransom note turned out to be fake, the sheriff said.
One note e-mailed Monday to the KOLD-TV newsroom in Tucson included information that only the abductor would know, anchor Mary Coleman told CNN.
“When we saw some of those details, it was clear after a couple of sentences that this might not be a hoax,” she said in an interview aired Wednesday.
The sheriff said investigators have believed from the beginning that Guthrie was targeted, but they don’t know whether that was because her daughter is one of television’s most visible anchors.
Savannah Guthrie has hosted “Today” — NBC’s flagship morning show — for more than a decade and had been set to co-anchor the network’s coverage of Friday's opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics.
Guthrie's three children say they're “ready to talk” to whoever sent the notes.
“We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us,” Savannah Guthrie said while fighting off tears.
With her voice cracking, she addressed her mother directly, saying the family was praying for her and that people were looking for her.
Guthrie was flanked by her sister Annie and her brother Camron.
“Mamma, If you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you,” Annie Guthrie said.
Billeaud reported from Phoenix and Seewer from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu; Hallie Golden in Seattle; Darlene Superville in Washington; and Julie Walker in New York contributed.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos updates media on the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of "Today" host Savannah Guthrie, in Tucson, Ariz., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Sejal Govindarao)
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos speaks at a news conference, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz., to provide updates in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie. (AP Photo/Sejal Govindarao)
Law enforcement officers are present outside the home of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" host Savannah Guthrie, near Tucson, Ariz., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Sejal Govindarao)
FILE - Savannah Guthrie arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
This image provided by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, shows a missing person alert for Nancy Guthrie. (Pima County Sheriff’s Department via AP)
