Two ransom notes addressed to the family of Nancy Guthrie have been linked to her abduction. Authorities believe they were sent by the same person or group responsible for her kidnapping. Investigators determined that both notes originated from the same computer IP address.
The first note demanded a large bitcoin ransom for Nancy Guthrie’s release. Days later, a second note claimed she had died during the ordeal. The sources reviewing the notes indicated the abductors expressed regret over her death.
Nancy Guthrie’s daughter, Savannah Guthrie, a “Today” show co-host, discussed the authenticity of these notes in a March NBC interview. She stated that the family considers these two notes genuine, even though several other notes were received but deemed not credible.
The first note, dated February 2, appeared the day after Nancy Guthrie, 84, vanished from her Tucson, Arizona home. It reached three media outlets, including TMZ, via online tiplines. Detailed descriptions in the note included items in Guthrie’s home, like an Apple Watch with a white band on her bedroom floor and a broken back porch light.
The second note, sent on February 6, mirrored the first in language and style but contained no demands.
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings publicly reached out to their mother’s captors in an Instagram video after the second note’s arrival. “We received your message and we understand,” Savannah Guthrie said. “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 task force of FBI and Pima County investigators is actively pursuing leads in the case to locate both Nancy Guthrie and her abductors.