Four months after law enforcement confirmed they received unidentified ransom notes, ABC, NBC and CBS are reporting that one of the letters indicated Savannah Guthrie’s mother was dead.
New details of an unverified ransom note previously sent to at least one media outlet following the alleged kidnapping of Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, have emerged four months after her disappearance.
A second ransom note, released shortly after the 84-year-old suspected kidnapper was kidnapped in Tucson, Arizona, on February 1, listed her as deceased, NBC News, ABC News and CBS News reported on Monday, June 22. NBC and ABC cited anonymous people “familiar” with the incident, and CBS cited “sources who reviewed the memo.”
USA TODAY has reached out to the FBI and Savannah Guthrie’s representatives for comment.
A spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Office in southern Arizona told USA TODAY that inquiries about the ransom note should be directed to the FBI. “The investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie remains active and ongoing. The Pima County Sheriff’s Office continues to work closely with the FBI as investigators follow up on leads, review information, and pursue the facts surrounding this case,” the department said in a statement.
Savannah Guthrie believed two ransom notes were real
After leaving the Today show in February, Savannah Guthrie returned to the show in April and resumed her anchor duties. Sitting with longtime colleague Hoda Kotb in March, a tearful Guthrie said he and his siblings were “in pain” over their mother’s disappearance, adding: “It’s unbearable.”
“I think there’s a lot of different notes, and I don’t think most of them are authentic,” Guthrie told Kotb in a March 26 “Today” interview segment. “However, we are inclined to believe that the two notes we received and responded to are genuine.”
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on the night of January 31st and is believed to have been kidnapped in the Catalina Foothills area just north of Tucson. In February, the FBI released an image showing an armed man fiddling with a camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door before her disappearance, but the suspect in the image has not been identified.
More than $1.2 million in rewards are being offered for information leading to her recovery.
What we know about the ransom note in the Nancy Guthrie case
On February 3, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a statement on social media that it was “aware of reports circulating regarding a possible ransom note” and that “we take all information and leads very seriously. Anything that comes in is reported directly to detectives working with the FBI.”
CBS News reported that its Tucson affiliate KOLD News received the letter on February 2nd. Without specifying which news station received the communication or confirming its authenticity, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told CBS News that the letter “included specific details about the home and the clothing Nancy Guthrie was wearing that night.”
Nanos told CBS News that the FBI reviewed the memo and shared it with Savannah Guthrie. On February 3, TMZ reported that it had received a letter demanding payment for Nancy Guthrie’s release.
At a Feb. 5 press conference, FBI Special Agent Heiss Janke said the ransom note reviewed by investigators showed no “evidence of survival,” and there were no other demands in the letter. Janke said the ransom note included “facts related to the deadline,” including an Apple Watch, a floodlight, and “monetary value.”
The memo reportedly included two deadlines: February 5th at 5pm and February 9th at 5pm, but the family was not provided with a way to contact them. The USA TODAY Network has not confirmed or substantiated the authenticity of either memo.
What Savannah Guthrie said about the alleged ransom note
On February 4, Savannah Guthrie posted a video of her and her brother mentioning an alleged ransom note directed by the FBI. “We’ve been hearing reports in the media about the ransom letter,” said Savannah Guthrie, sitting between her sister Annie Guthrie and brother Camron Guthrie.
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings ask to take their mother home
Today anchor Savannah Guthrie, seated between her siblings, made an emotional plea on social media to bring her mother home.
She went on to appear to address the possible kidnapper directly.
“As a family, we are doing the best we can. We are ready to speak. But we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We definitely need to know that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out,” Savannah Guthrie said.
The “Today” show co-host highlighted 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie’s medical needs, saying, “Her health, her heart, is fragile. She lives in constant pain. She doesn’t have medicine. She needs it to survive. She needs it so she doesn’t suffer.”
Law enforcement is asking anyone with information to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or the Pima County Sheriff’s Office tips.fbi.gov. (520-351-4900) or 88-CRIME.
