Nancy Guthrie Case Update: Sheriff Releases Ransom Notes, New Details

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office released new details in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie on the six-month anniversary of her disappearance July 31, including the full ransom notes and details about the unidentified man seen in the doorbell camera video recovered by the FBI.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators were continuing to work on the case and asked the public to help find the suspect using the clues he left behind.

Investigators are focused on identifying the mysterious man seen in two videos recovered from Guthrie’s doorbell camera. The man “knows what happened to Nancy,” the sheriff said in the release.

The first note released by investigators July 31 was sent Feb. 2 through local news station KOLD’s online news tip form as a ransom demand. The writer asked for “$4 million USD before 5PM on Thursday the 5th.”

The message stated, in part, “If payment is not received, the ransom will be increased to 6 million USD which will need to be paid by 5PM on. Monday the 9th. Once payment is received to the bitcoin address below she will be released within 12 hours of deposit to a safe drop off location back in Tucson. If payment is not received by the last deadline on Monday the 9th at 5PM, she will be killed.”

The second note, sent Feb. 6, was an apology addressed to the “Guthrie Family,” also sent through KOLD’s site.

The writer stated, “We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition. We never intended to hurt her, that was not our intention. She perished shortly after she was taken. We believe it was heart related. She is buried in nature now. Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome. We want your family to know this and hope you all can find peace. We are truly sorry.”

Detectives hope the notes will provide clues to someone in the public who will recognize the writing.

“These communications reveal distinctive patterns of word choice, syntax, and phraseology that reflect the writer’s unique linguistic style,” the sheriff’s office stated. “They also provide valuable insight into the person’s mindset, motives, and the evolution of their tone over time.”

Investigators believe the distinctive linguistic characteristics may be recognized by someone who knows or has interacted with the notes’ writer.

A sheriff’s spokesman didn’t say why the notes were withheld from the public until this week.

Investigators also asked the public to review videos released by the FBI on Feb. 10 to help them identify the man seen at her front door the night she vanished.

“We have recovered videos from her residence showing an unidentified male who knows what happened to Nancy,” the sheriff’s department stated.

The videos from Guthrie’s doorbell camera may be from two different days, Nanos said.

“These videos are critical to our understanding of the unidentified male’s behaviors and choices,” Nanos said.

Investigators said early on Feb. 1 that her doorbell camera detected movement and was disconnected.

FBI technicians were able to recover video footage in February from Google Nest, the camera’s manufacturer, showing an armed man—wearing a ski mask, gloves, and a backpack—tampering with the camera outside her house before she vanished.

The videos “indicate he took steps to prepare for the event on the night of January 31 to February 1,” the sheriff’s department said.

The public was asked to look for changes in people’s behavior, physical appearance, routines, and other ways that might look like they were involved in the incident.

The sheriff’s office is working with FBI agents from the Phoenix Field Office on the investigation six months after the 84-year-old disappeared.  

“Today Show” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie’s elderly mother was last seen by family members on the night of Jan. 31. She was reported missing after church members noticed she didn’t attend a virtual service the morning of Feb. 1.

Savannah Guthrie also marked the six-month anniversary of her mother’s disappearance this week by releasing a new video, begging kidnappers to “do the right thing” and help the family locate her.

“Make the right choice. Help us find her,” she said in the video shared on her Instagram. “Tell us where to look for her. I truly believe it is never too late to do the right thing, for all of us.”

Nanos said investigators are continuing to work with the FBI and are following additional leads in the case, including identifying DNA found in Guthrie’s home.

“We recovered a lot of DNA at that home and all of it is still being analyzed,” Nanos told ABC15 July 31.