One ransom note demanded $4 million, another said Nancy Guthrie died
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department released early ransom notes Monday from the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, who went missing from her home outside Tucson on Feb. 1. The notes were initially sent to a Tucson television station days after Guthrie vanished.
According to the first note, dated Feb. 2, Guthrie was safe but scared and would be released unharmed once her captors received $4 million in cryptocurrency. The note warned that the ransom amount would increase if the demand was not met.
A second note indicated that Guthrie died shortly after she was kidnapped. The department said it was releasing the notes because investigators believe “these distinctive linguistic characteristics may be recognizable to someone who knows or has interacted with the notes’ writer.”
The case remains open. Guthrie disappeared from her home without any sign of forced entry. The sheriff’s department has asked anyone with information about the notes or the writer to come forward.