New details of an unverified ransom note previously sent to at least one news outlet following the alleged kidnapping of Savannah Guthrie‘s mom, Nancy Guthrie, are becoming public four months after her disappearance.
A second ransom note released shortly after the 84-year-old’s suspected abduction in Tucson, Arizona, on Feb. 1 claimed that she was dead, NBC News, ABC News and CBS News reported on Monday, June 22. NBC and ABC cited unnamed people “familiar with” the case, while CBS referred to “sources who reviewed the notes.”
USA TODAY has reached out to the FBI and Savannah Guthrie’s representatives for comment.
When reached by USA TODAY, a spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in southern Arizona noted that inquires regarding ransom notes should be directed to the FBI. The office said in a statement, “The investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie remains active and ongoing. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department continues to work closely with the FBI as investigators follow up on leads, review information, and pursue the facts surrounding this case.”
After stepping back from the “Today” show in February, Savannah Guthrie returned to the program to resume anchoring duties in April. Sitting down with her longtime colleague Hoda Kotb in March, a tearful Guthrie said she and her siblings “are in agony” over her mother’s disappearance, adding, “It is unbearable.”
“There are a lot of different notes, I think that came. And I think most of them, it’s my understanding, are not real,” Guthrie told Kotb in a “Today” interview segment released March 26. “But I believe the two notes that we received that we responded to, I tend to believe those were real.”
Nancy Guthrie was last seen the evening of Jan. 31 before her apparent kidnapping from her Catalina Foothills neighborhood directly north of Tucson. In February, the FBI released images showing an armed person at Nancy Guthrie’s front door tampering with the camera prior to her disappearance, but the suspect in the images has not been identified.
A reward totaling more than $1.2 million has been offered for information leading to her recovery.
On Feb. 3, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed in a statement released on social media that it was “aware of reports circulating about possible ransom note(s)” and that it was “taking all tips and leads very seriously. Anything that comes in goes directly to our detectives who are coordinating with the FBI.”
CBS News reported that its Tucson affiliate, KOLD News, received a letter on Feb. 2. Without specifying which news station received the communication or confirming its veracity, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told CBS News that the letter “contained specific details about the home and what Nancy Guthrie was wearing that night.”
Nanos told CBS News that the FBI had reviewed the note and shared it with Savannah Guthrie. On Feb. 3, TMZ reported that it had received an alleged letter demanding payment for the release of Nancy Guthrie.
During a Feb. 5 news conference, FBI special agent in charge Heith Janke said an alleged ransom note reviewed by investigators did not provide “proof of life, and there were no other demands within that letter.” Janke said the ransom letter included “facts associated with a deadline,” including an Apple Watch, a floodlight and “a monetary value.”
Though the note reportedly included two deadlines: one at 5 p.m. on Feb. 5 and another on Feb. 9, the family was allegedly not provided with a way to get in contact. The USA TODAY Network has not viewed or substantiated the validity of either note.
On Feb. 4, Savannah Guthrie posted a video, for which the FBI provided guidance, in which she and her siblings addressed the purported ransom notes. Sitting between sister Annie Guthrie and brother Camron Guthrie, Savannah Guthrie said, “We, too, have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media.”
As she continued, she appeared to speak directly to a possible kidnapper.
“As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a doubt that she’s alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us,” Savannah Guthrie said.
The “Today” show cohost emphasized 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie’s medical needs as she said, “Her health, her heart, is fragile. She lives in constant pain. She is without any medicine. She needs it to survive. She needs it not to suffer.”
Law enforcement asks anyone with information to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department (520-351-4900) or 88-CRIME.
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