Ransom Note Claims US Presenter Savannah Guthrie's Mother Nancy Died After January Abduction
A ransom note received days after the January abduction of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of US television presenter Savannah Guthrie, stated that she had died. This communication was the second of two notes sent to her family and various news organisations following her disappearance from her home near Tucson, Arizona.
The initial ransom note, sent the day after Nancy Guthrie vanished on 31 January, demanded millions in bitcoin for her safe return. This note reportedly contained specific details about her residence, including her bedroom and the surrounding property, suggesting intimate knowledge of the home. Investigators conveyed these details to US media outlets. Savannah Guthrie, a co-anchor for NBC’s Today show, was reportedly the recipient of this first demand.
A subsequent note, dispatched on 6 February, maintained a similar linguistic style to the first but omitted any demands. Instead, it offered an apology for her death, characterising it as inadvertent. Following these communications, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings released a video appeal, stating, “We received your message, and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us,” and affirmed the family “would pay.”
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has refrained from commenting on the specific contents of these notes, stating only that the investigation remains “active and ongoing.” A spokesperson confirmed that the department is collaborating closely with the FBI, pursuing leads and reviewing information. Authorities and the Guthrie family had repeatedly highlighted Nancy Guthrie’s poor health and urgent need for critical medication throughout the search. Images of a masked individual captured by security cameras outside her home were released as part of the ongoing investigation. The family had offered a $1 million reward, supplemented by $100,000 from the FBI, for information leading to her return. Savannah Guthrie had previously acknowledged in March that while some ransom notes were considered bogus, her family believed the two initial communications were authentic.
