A ransom note, sent days after 84‑year‑old Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her home in Tucson, Arizona, claimed her death, according to investigators.
The note was one of two addressed to the mother’s family and sent to multiple news outlets. The first demanded millions in bitcoin for her release, while the second, sent on 6 February, apologized for her death and stated it had been inadvertent.
Pima County’s Sheriff’s Department, in conjunction with the FBI, has said the investigation remains active and ongoing. The FBI has spent months investigating the case, and law‑enforcement agencies have requested that the public refrain from publishing details of the notes until the investigation is complete.
Nancy Guthrie vanished after being dropped off at her home on 31 January. She failed to attend a scheduled virtual Sunday church service the next morning, raising concerns about her wellbeing. An initial ransom note, sent the day after she disappeared, contained detailed information about her home and bedroom and was addressed to her daughter, Savannah Guthrie, a co‑anchor for NBC’s Today show.
After the two notes, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings released a video directly addressing the kidnappers, saying, “We received your message, and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us. We will pay.”
Authorities and the Guthrie family have highlighted Nancy’s poor health and lack of medication, and they have offered a $1 million reward, with an additional $100 000 pledged by the FBI, for information that could lead to her return. As the search continues, the family remains hopeful while acknowledging the possibility that she may already be gone.
Guthrie stepped away from NBC’s Today show for more than two months during the investigation, but returned in early April while the search persisted.
