Sheriff in Nancy Guthrie Case Releases Ransom Notes: “She Perished Shortly After She Was Taken”

The first note, sent one day after Nancy went missing, was addressed directly to Savannah Guthrie.

Chris Nanos, the sheriff in the Nancy Guthrie case, has released a pair of ransom notes initially shared with the CBS affiliate in her home city of Tucson, Arizona. The second of the two notes states that Nancy has “perished.”

The notes “purport to have been written by kidnappers,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Office says in a press release timed to the six-month anniversary of Nancy’s disappearance. The first note was sent to KOLD-TV 13 News on Feb. 2; Nancy was last seen alive on Jan. 31. Addressed directly to Savannah Guthrie, the first ransom note demands $4-$6 million (depending on date of deposit) in Bitcoin. It says Nancy is “safe but scared.”

Nancy Guthrie is the mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. She was 84 years old at the time of her disappearance.

“Her life is in your hands,” it states. The note’s final line offers two details as proof of legitimacy: “She had a white smart watch on the floor of the foot of her bed and the white flood light in the backyard was destroyed.”