Nancy Guthrie Abduction: Investigation Into Ransom Notes

Authorities are investigating ransom notes linked to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. These notes, addressed to Guthrie’s family, are believed to have been sent by her abductors. The same computer IP address likely sent both messages, according to investigators familiar with the case.

The first note demanded a significant bitcoin ransom for Guthrie’s release. Sent a few days later, a second note revealed Guthrie’s death and indicated it was unintentional. Sources who reviewed the notes shared these insights.

Her daughter, Savannah Guthrie, known for hosting NBC’s “Today” show, affirmed the authenticity of these notes. “There are a lot of different notes,” Savannah commented in an NBC interview. “But I believe the two notes that we received, that we responded to, I tend to believe those are real.”

The initial note, sent on February 2—one day post Guthrie’s disappearance in Tucson, Arizona—was forwarded to three media outlets. Local news stations and TMZ received detailed information about Guthrie’s home, including an Apple Watch on the bedroom floor and a broken porch light. This correspondence was directed at Savannah Guthrie, according to sources familiar with the situation.

On February 6, a second communication resembling the first in style but containing no demands was dispatched. Savannah Guthrie and her siblings called out to the mother’s kidnappers through an Instagram video after receiving this message. “We received your message and we understand,” Savannah Guthrie pleaded. “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.”

An FBI and Pima County detectives task force continues to investigate the kidnapping. They are actively searching for Guthrie and those involved in her abduction.