New Message Tied to Nancy Guthrie’s Disappearance: What to Know

The FBI is examining two ransom notes that are allegedly tied to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of long-time “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie.

The 84-year-old vanished in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, hours after eating dinner with her family.

Second Note

A television station in Tucson, Arizona, confirmed on Feb. 6 that it received a note relating to the presumed kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie.

“The new note contains something the senders seem to think will prove to investigators they’re the same people who sent the first note,” KOLD news anchor Mary Coleman wrote in a Facebook post on Friday night.

The second note was sent to the station’s newsroom email, Coleman said. KOLD 13 News also received the first alleged ransom note.

“We sent the IP address where the note came from to law enforcement,” Coleman added.

“It is NOT the same IP address as the initial note, but it appears the sender used the same type of secure server to hide their IP address.”

The television station is not sharing the contents of the new message due to the ongoing investigation.

The note is being examined by the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

“The FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department are aware of a new message regarding Nancy Guthrie,” according to a statement from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department on Friday.

“Investigators are actively inspecting the information provided in the message for its authenticity.”

The sheriff’s department shared that it discovered “one new piece of information” in the case after reviewing the note.

First Note

A small number of news outlets received the first ransom note, including TMZ, which reported receiving it on the morning of Feb. 3.

The letter demanded a Bitcoin payment to secure the release of Nancy Guthrie, according to TMZ.

The FBI confirmed notes contained “facts associated with a deadline with a monetary value they were asking for.”

The first note allegedly demanded that the cryptocurrency be paid by 5 p.m. local time on Thursday. If a transfer wasn’t made, the alleged suspect(s) set a second demand for Monday, Feb. 9.

The Guthrie family has not yet made contact with the person or people who allegedly kidnapped their mother, according to a video posted on Feb. 6.

One person was accused of pretending to make false ransom demands for the return of the elderly woman.

Timeline

Nancy Guthrie was last seen on Jan. 31 by a family member who drove her back from dinner at 9:48 p.m.

Guthrie’s doorbell camera was disconnected in the early morning hours of Feb. 1.

The camera still detected movement at 2:12 a.m., despite not having video, and at 2:28 a.m., a heart pacemaker app was disconnected from her phone.

Authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was removed against her will after they ran DNA tests that showed the blood found on her front porch came back as a match to her.

Response

The FBI is offering up to $50,000 for information that leads to Nancy Guthrie’s return.

Nancy Guthrie’s family, including Savannah Guthrie, has said in two videos that they’re willing to speak to whoever allegedly kidnapped their mother.

“We are ready to talk,” the national television anchor said in an Instagram video on Feb. 4.

On Feb. 5, Savannah Guthrie shared a video on her Instagram showing her brother, Cameron, once again asking the suspect to contact them.

“Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you,” Cameron said in an Instagram video. “We haven’t heard anything directly.”

President Donald Trump said investigators have gathered “very strong” leads in recent days.

“I think we’re doing very well. Very well meaning we have some clues that I think are very strong, and I think we could have some answers coming up fairly soon,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Feb. 6.