Authorities suspect that two ransom notes sent to the family of Nancy Guthrie may have come from the individuals responsible for her abduction. Investigators believe the same person or group sent both notes, likely using the same computer IP address.
The first note demanded a multimillion-dollar ransom in bitcoin for Guthrie’s release. A second note, sent a few days later, stated Nancy Guthrie had died, yet the note implied this was unintentional, as reviewed by sources familiar with the notes.
Her daughter, ‘Today’ show co-host Savannah Guthrie, stated in a March interview with NBC that the family believes these two notes are genuine. She said, “There are a lot of different notes, I think, that came, and I think most of them… are not real, and I didn’t see them. But I believe the two notes that we received, that we responded to, I tend to believe those are real.”
The first note, dated February 2, was sent a day after Nancy Guthrie, age 84, was reported missing from her Tucson, Arizona home. It reached three media outlets, including two local news stations and TMZ, through their online tip lines. This note contained specific details about Guthrie’s home, such as the presence of an Apple Watch with a white band in her bedroom and a broken back porch light, as reported by investigators. Multiple sources confirm the note was addressed to Savannah Guthrie.
The second note, dispatched on February 6, mirrored the first in its language and style but did not make any demands, according to sources who reviewed both notes.
In response to the second note, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings addressed their mother’s kidnappers in a video posted on Instagram. Savannah stated, “We received your message and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace… This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”
A dedicated task force, including FBI and Pima County detectives, continues to investigate the kidnapping as they search for Guthrie and those responsible.