Police release Nancy Guthrie ransom notes after six months

Pima County Police in southern Arizona over the weekend published two ransom notes linked to the kidnapping earlier this year of Nancy Guthrie, mother of TODAY Show Host Savannah Guthrie. The notes, which police believed to be authentic, claimed that the 84-year-old woman died soon after being abducted from her Tucson home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1.

Authorities previously described Nancy as having limited mobility and as being dependent on daily heart medication. Investigators found Nancy’s blood on the front porch, and recovered footage from her doorbell camera showing an unidentified man at her door the night of Jan. 31 and early morning of Feb. 1.

What did the newly released notes say? Kidnappers addressed the initial note to Savannah only and demanded a $4 million ransom in bitcoin to be paid no later than a week after the kidnapping. The abductors planned to kill Nancy if the ransom was not received within a week, according to the first ransom note, which was received on Feb. 2. They described Nancy as safe but scared, writing that her life was in Savannah’s hands.

The abductors addressed the second note to the entire Guthrie family, and reported that Nancy died soon after the crime. The kidnappers claimed to have not initially understood the seriousness of Nancy’s heart condition, which they believed caused her death, according to the note. Nothing the family could have done would have changed the outcome, wrote the supposed perpetrators, who claimed to be “truly sorry.” Nancy’s remains were buried in nature, according to the note.

Why release the notes now? Investigators hoped someone would recognize the specific syntax, word choice, and phrasing of the kidnapper’s writing, according to a Saturday update from Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos. The investigation remained active, and police hoped that releasing the notes might nudge someone who knows something to come forward, Nanos said. The sheriff added that the Guthrie family knew he would release the notes. They were never suspects in the crime, Nanos said.

How has the family responded? Savannah released another petition for someone involved to come forward with information about her mother’s death. It’s not too late to come forward anonymously and do the right thing, she wrote. Savannah vowed never to stop looking for answers, asking for prayers and kindness.