A second ransom note sent days after Nancy Guthrie’s abduction from her Arizona home in late January claimed the 84-year-old had died unintentionally, according to law enforcement sources cited by CNN on June 22.
The note, which followed an initial demand for millions of dollars in bitcoin, included an apology to the family and stated she was “buried with nature now,” sources close to the investigation told NewsNation’s Brian Entin. Pima County Sheriff’s Department investigators and the FBI believe both notes came from the same source as the abduction, CBS News reported, citing officials familiar with the case who noted the similar language and IP address. The second communication contained no ransom demand but suggested time was no longer a factor, Air Mail newsletter sources told azcentral.com.
Nancy Guthrie’s family, including NBC “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, responded with a public video plea shortly after receiving the messages in early February. “We received your message, and we understand,” Savannah Guthrie said in the video, according to BBC reporting. “We beg you now to return our mother to us. We would pay.” The family offered a $1 million reward, with the FBI adding $100,000 for information leading to her recovery, Wikipedia’s compiled timeline of the disappearance states, drawing from contemporary news accounts.
Guthrie vanished on January 31 after relatives dropped her off at her Catalina Foothills home near Tucson, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. She missed a virtual church service the next morning, prompting concern, and evidence at the scene including bloodstains confirmed to be hers and signs of forced entry indicated she was taken against her will, Sheriff Chris Nanos told reporters at the time. The victim, who required critical medication for poor health, had been the subject of an active investigation involving the FBI for months, with authorities requesting media hold off on full note details early in the probe.
A tip received by Mexican volunteer group Buscando Corazones Nogales in June claimed Guthrie was deceased and buried near Nogales along the U.S.-Mexico border, which sparked an unsuccessful local search, People magazine reported via Wikipedia’s summary of developments. Security footage released by investigators showed a masked person tampering with a doorbell camera outside the home on the night of the abduction. No arrests have been made, and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in statements that the case remains active with agents continuing to follow leads.
Savannah Guthrie stepped away from her “Today” show duties for more than two months following her mother’s disappearance before returning in early April, according to network reports. The family has continued to express hope while acknowledging the possibility she may be gone, with Savannah Guthrie stating on February 24 that they would keep hoping “even though we know that she may be lost, she may already be gone.” Additional ransom-style messages reached local Arizona television stations in the weeks after the initial notes, though their connection to the primary communications remains under review by the FBI.
The disappearance has drawn national attention, with authorities emphasizing that the notes’ specificity about the home and bedroom suggested authenticity from those responsible. As of June 23, the joint investigation by local sheriff’s deputies and federal agents has not located Guthrie or identified suspects, according to updates from multiple outlets including the CBC and The Telegraph that referenced the latest source disclosures.
