In late January, Nancy Guthrie, an 84-year-old woman in Tucson, Arizona, was taken from her home — and the handwritten notes that followed, sent to a local television station, told a story that no ransom could have resolved. The kidnapper first demanded millions in bitcoin, then claimed she had died of heart-related causes shortly after the abduction and was buried in an unnamed place in nature. Months later, investigators have released those notes publicly, hoping that someone, somewhere, will recognize the particular way a person writes when they are trying to explain the inexplicable.
Ransom notes in Nancy Guthrie case released; second note claims kidnapper victim died
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was kidnapped on Jan. 31 and according to the kidnapper's note, died shortly after abduction, possibly from heart-related causes.
She is buried in nature now. Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome.
Mark
Why release the notes at all, months after they arrived? What does the sheriff's department hope will happen?
Mimi
They're betting that the way someone writes is as distinctive as a fingerprint. The phrasing, the word choices, the rhythm—someone who knows this person might recognize it. A friend, a family member, someone who's read their emails or texts. It's a long shot, but it's what they have.
Mark
The first note is so specific about the watch and the floodlight. That's what made investigators believe it was real.
Mimi
Exactly. Those details prove the person was inside the house, knew the layout, knew what was there. It's not a bluff. It's a kidnapper showing their hand to prove they have the victim.
Mark
And then four days later, everything changes. The ransom demand disappears. Instead, an apology.
Mimi
That's the haunting part. Either she died almost immediately, and the first note was a lie from the start. Or something went wrong very quickly. Either way, the second note reads like someone trying to explain away a catastrophe they didn't plan for.
Mark
Do we know if the family actually tried to pay?
Mimi
Savannah Guthrie said they responded to the notes, but she didn't say how. Whether they gathered the money, whether they tried to negotiate—that's still private. What we know is the deadline passed, and the second note arrived instead.
Mark
A million dollars in rewards, and still no arrests. What does that tell you?
Mimi
That this person, or these people, have stayed invisible. No digital trail that leads anywhere. No one has come forward. Either they're very careful, or they're someone no one suspects yet.
The Pulse
- An 84-year-old woman vanished from her Tucson home on January 31st, and the silence that followed was broken only by handwritten ransom notes demanding up to $6 million in bitcoin under threat of death.
- The second note upended the entire premise of the ransom — the kidnapper claimed Nancy Guthrie had already died from heart-related causes and had been buried, rendering every deadline and demand moot.
- Investigators are now treating the notes themselves as the primary evidence, releasing them publicly after identifying distinctive linguistic patterns in word choice, syntax, and phrasing that may be recognizable to someone who knows the writer.
- Both notes traced back to the same IP address, suggesting a single actor or coordinated group, yet no arrest has been made and no surveillance footage has produced a breakthrough.
- The Guthrie family and the FBI together are offering $1.1 million for information leading to an arrest, as the case now rests on whether a stranger recognizes the cadence of a guilty conscience.
In late January, Nancy Guthrie, an 84-year-old woman in Tucson, Arizona, was taken from her home — and the handwritten notes that followed, sent to a local television station, told a story that no ransom could have resolved. The kidnapper first demanded millions in bitcoin, then claimed she had died of heart-related causes shortly after the abduction and was buried in an unnamed place in nature. Months later, investigators have released those notes publicly, hoping that someone, somewhere, will recognize the particular way a person writes when they are trying to explain the inexplicable.
On January 31st, Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her home in Tucson, Arizona. She was 84 years old. Four days later, two handwritten notes arrived at a local television station — and together, they reshaped what investigators thought they were looking for.
The first note, sent to CBS affiliate KOLD-TV on February 2nd and addressed to Guthrie's daughter Savannah Guthrie of NBC's Today show, made explicit demands: $4 million in bitcoin within seven days, escalating to $6 million if unpaid, with a final threat to kill if the last deadline passed. The writer included specific details about Guthrie's home — the location of her Apple Watch, a destroyed backyard floodlight — details that convinced investigators the note was genuine.
Then, on February 6th, a second note arrived addressed to the entire family. The tone had changed entirely. The writer claimed they had not understood the severity of Guthrie's condition, that they had never meant to harm her — and then stated that she had died shortly after the abduction, likely from heart-related causes. She had been buried, the note said, in nature. The writer expressed regret and asked the family to find peace.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department released both notes publicly more than four months after the kidnapping, explaining that the distinctive patterns in phrasing and syntax might be recognizable to someone who knew the writer. Both notes originated from the same IP address. Savannah Guthrie confirmed in March that the family believed the notes were authentic and had responded to them.
The investigation remains open. A joint task force of Pima County detectives and FBI agents continues to analyze the linguistic characteristics of the notes. No suspect has been arrested. The Guthrie family is offering $1 million in reward money; the FBI is offering an additional $100,000. The case now turns on a single question: whether someone recognizes the particular way these words were chosen by a person who may have buried an 84-year-old woman and then written, by hand, to say they were sorry.
On January 31st, Nancy Guthrie, an 84-year-old woman living in Tucson, Arizona, disappeared from her home. Four days later, two handwritten notes arrived at a local television station that would reshape the investigation into her abduction—and suggest a tragedy that no ransom payment could have prevented.
The first note, sent to CBS affiliate KOLD-TV on February 2nd and addressed to Guthrie's daughter Savannah Guthrie, the co-host of NBC's "Today" show, laid out explicit demands. The writer claimed to be holding Nancy Guthrie safely but scared, and demanded $4 million in bitcoin within seven days. The deadline was set for 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 5th. If that payment failed to arrive, the ransom would jump to $6 million, due by 5 p.m. on Monday, February 9th. The note promised that upon receipt of funds, Guthrie would be released within twelve hours to a safe location in Tucson. It also contained a threat: if the final deadline passed without payment, she would be killed. The writer included specific details about Guthrie's home—the location of her white Apple Watch on the floor at the foot of her bed, and the fact that the white floodlight in the backyard had been destroyed. These details, investigators would later say, convinced them the note was genuine.
Four days after that first message, on February 6th, a second note arrived, this one addressed to the entire Guthrie family. The tone had shifted entirely. The writer claimed not to have fully understood the seriousness of Guthrie's physical condition. They said they had never intended to harm her. But then came the central claim: she had died shortly after being taken, likely from heart-related causes. "She is buried in nature now," the note stated. "Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome." The writer expressed regret and asked the family to find peace, saying they were sorry.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department released both notes to the public on Friday, more than four months after the kidnapping. Investigators said they were doing so because the notes contained distinctive patterns in word choice, syntax, and phrasing that might be recognizable to someone who knew the writer. Both notes had been sent from the same IP address, suggesting they came from the same person or group. Savannah Guthrie stated in March that the family believed the notes were authentic and had responded to them, though the details of that response were not disclosed.
The investigation remains active. A task force combining Pima County detectives and FBI agents continues to pursue leads, analyzing the linguistic characteristics of the notes in hopes of identifying the person responsible. No suspect has been arrested, and no surveillance footage has led to a breakthrough. The Guthrie family is offering a $1 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved. The FBI is offering an additional $100,000. Anyone with information can contact the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI. The case now hinges on whether someone, somewhere, recognizes the way these notes were written—the particular cadence and phrasing of a person who may have taken an 84-year-old woman from her home and, according to their own account, buried her in an unmarked grave.
Notable Quotes
We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition. We never intended to hurt her.— From the kidnapper's second note to the Guthrie family
Savannah Guthrie stated in March that the family believed the notes were authentic and had responded to them.— Savannah Guthrie, daughter of Nancy Guthrie and NBC 'Today' show co-host
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