Nancy Guthrie ‘dead’? Conflicting ransom notes claim knowledge of body’s location, demand Bitcoin

A troubling twist has emerged in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, with an anonymous sender issuing fresh ransom notes claiming the 84-year-old is dead, and offering to disclose the location of her body and the identity of her alleged kidnapper in exchange for bitcoin. 

The new messages were sent to TMZ on Monday, the same day her daughter, Savannah Guthrie, returned to the Today studio, telling colleagues it was “good to be back.”

Nancy Guthrie has been missing since 1 February and was last seen at her home in Tucson the previous evening. Her disappearance remains under federal investigation.

Fresh notes claim death, demand payment

According to The New York Post, the same individual who previously demanded one bitcoin has now lowered the price, at least initially, offering: “I know where her body is, and who the kidnapper is, give me half a bitcoin and I’ll tell you.”

The note also states, “She is dead.”

The sender expressed anger at being disregarded as a scammer, writing: “It's unbelievable that millions have been wasted and yet here I am willing to deliver them on a silver platter since the 11th of february for a bitcoin but I am disregarded as a scam ... they are free and the case is frozen but the ego's remain hot when it comes to me. Arrogance at it's finest.”

Second note claims sighting in Mexico

Shortly after the first message was discussed on TMZ Live, a second note arrived.

It read, “I saw her alive with them in the state of Sonora Mexico.”

The sender tied this to Sonora, which sits just across the border from Arizona. Nancy was abducted roughly 70 miles north of that border. Despite the claim of a sighting, the earlier assertion that “she is dead” was not withdrawn.

The individual insisted they were not acting out of greed, saying in another line: “I just want what's fair and to live peacefully with enough to start my life again quietly without having to join a witness protection program.”

Federal authorities not convinced

TMZ said it forwarded the communications to the FBI, though investigators reportedly remain sceptical. No money has been transferred to the bitcoin wallet created by the sender back in February, a detail that officials believe reinforces doubts about the legitimacy of the claims.

A spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Office told Newsweek that all tips are referred to detectives working alongside the FBI, but directed questions about ransom notes to federal authorities.

Not the first ransom demand

Earlier in the investigation, the Guthrie family received multiple ransom messages directly, with Savannah acknowledging that at least two of them appeared credible. The latest notes mark the first time such communications were sent to a media organisation instead of the family.

Savannah Guthrie’s public response

Savannah has largely avoided commenting on the new claims, but on Easter Sunday she spoke through her faith during a video message recorded at Good Shepherd New York, saying, “I still believe. And so I say with conviction, ‘Happy Easter.’”

Her return to the Today programme on Monday was seen as a brief step back into normalcy amid the ongoing crisis.

Investigation continues

Nancy Guthrie, who relies on daily medication and has a pacemaker, vanished from her Tucson home under circumstances authorities believe constitute an abduction. Surveillance footage previously released by the FBI shows a masked figure near her residence on 31 January.

No suspect has yet been named. The family is offering more than $1.2 million in rewards for information leading to Nancy’s recovery.

Authorities urge anyone with credible information to contact federal investigators.