Nancy Guthrie ransom notes released as sheriff seeks writer
Pima County officials released two alleged ransom notes in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, asking the public to help identify the author.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
The Nancy Guthrie ransom notes are now public, six months after the 84-year-old mother of Today anchor Savannah Guthrie was last seen alive in Arizona.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department released two messages that officials said “purport to have been written by kidnappers,” while stressing that the department has not confirmed they are authentic. Investigators said they hope someone may recognize the writer’s word choices, phrasing or sentence patterns.
Both notes were sent to KOLD-TV 13 News, a CBS affiliate in Tucson, according to the sheriff’s department. Nancy Guthrie was last seen on Jan. 31.
What did the Nancy Guthrie ransom notes say?
The first message, sent Feb. 2 and addressed to Savannah Guthrie, demanded $4 million in Bitcoin for her mother’s release by Feb. 5, according to authorities. The note said the amount would rise to $6 million if that deadline passed, with a later payment deadline of Feb. 9.
The note warned that Nancy Guthrie would be killed if payment was not received by 5 p.m. on Feb. 9. It also included two alleged details apparently meant to show the writer had knowledge of the scene: a white smart watch left on the floor near the foot of Guthrie’s bed and a destroyed white floodlight in the backyard.
The second note arrived Feb. 6, before the first deadline had passed, and was addressed to the Guthrie family. In it, the writer claimed Nancy Guthrie died soon after being taken and said the death was believed to be heart-related.
The message said the writer had not understood the seriousness of Guthrie’s physical condition and claimed there had been no intent to harm her. It also stated that she was “buried in nature,” according to the sheriff’s department.
Why investigators want the public to read the notes
The sheriff’s department said the release is aimed at identifying the person who wrote the messages. Investigators said the language may stand out to a friend, relative, coworker, classmate or acquaintance of the author.
Authorities have previously said Nancy Guthrie needed daily medication and that missed doses could be life-threatening. In an earlier public plea, Savannah Guthrie said her mother had a fragile heart and needed her medicine to survive.
The FBI has released images of a masked person approaching Nancy Guthrie’s front door in the middle of the night. Investigators believe she was taken from her home against her will, according to the reporting from law enforcement.
The case has also drawn false leads. In July, a Hawthorne, California, man pleaded guilty to sending a fake ransom note to the Guthrie family in connection with the disappearance.
Another man, Carlos Palazuelos, who was detained in connection with the investigation and then released without charges, has filed a notice of claim indicating plans to sue the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. Palazuelos alleges he was held at gunpoint and plans to seek $2.5 million over claims including assault, false arrest, negligence, defamation and false imprisonment.
The sheriff’s department continues to ask anyone who recognizes the writing style in the alleged ransom notes to come forward with information that could help identify the person responsible.
This story draws on original reporting from Rolling Stone.