Nancy Guthrie Case: New Ransom Note Emerges Eight Months After Savannah Guthrie’s Mom Disappeared as Police Assess Authenticity

Nearly eight months after Nancy Guthrie disappeared, police say they may have uncovered a new ransom note. Nancy, the 84-year-old mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, was kidnapped from her home in the Tucson area on Feb. 1. Her abduction quickly became a national story, remaining in the headlines for months.

Not long after Nancy disappeared, her family received two disturbing ransom notes, which police later released in their entirety in July. The first demanded $4 million, while the second claimed Nancy was dead and included an apology. However, there was no proof of her death. Authorities now appear to be investigating what could be a third ransom note.

New Twist in the Tale

Investigators recently learned of another possible ransom note connected to the search for Guthrie, a spokesman for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said late Monday. “The PCSD/FBI Guthrie Task Force was recently made aware of a new possible ransom note related to the Nancy Guthrie investigation,” the spokesman said.

“Investigators are also aware of social media comments regarding the note and are looking further into the information to determine its credibility.”

The sheriff’s department has been investigating the abduction with help from the FBI.

Authorities have not revealed the contents of the latest note, and the statement did not confirm whether it was authentic. A department spokesman told 13 News that “there is some skepticism” about its validity.

One of the two notes released in July was considered potentially genuine because it included details about Guthrie’s home, including a broken backyard floodlight and a white smartwatch found on her bedroom floor.

The other note contained no such specific details but had a similar tone to the first, raising the possibility that both were written by the same person.

Sheriff Chris Nanos said in July that investigators released the notes hoping someone would recognize the writer’s distinctive wording, expressions or style.

The FBI had previously released surveillance footage of a masked man who authorities said appeared to tamper with a camera outside Guthrie’s front porch before blocking it with a plant. He was described as a male about 5 feet 9 inches tall.

The Hunt Continues

Authorities are seeking information about anyone who suddenly changed their behavior or appearance, left the Tucson area, or developed a noticeable or unexplained interest or lack of interest in the case. “We’re still here. We are not going away,” Nanos said two months ago. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”

It remains unclear whether Guthrie is still alive, despite one of the earlier ransom notes claiming she had died. If investigators determine that the latest ransom note is genuine, it could indicate that Nancy is still alive.

Before news of the possible third note emerged, one of the latest developments came last month, when officers were spotted searching through brush near Guthrie’s home.

Retired Pima County Sheriff’s Department lieutenant Bob Krygier suggested at the time that investigators could have been looking for clues after heavy rain changed the surrounding landscape, potentially uncovering or shifting evidence that had previously gone unnoticed, according to Fox News.

Krygier also said authorities may have simply returned to the area for another examination of the scene after six months without a breakthrough. He noted that he was “certain that they’ve searched those areas already.”

Another possibility, he suggested, was that investigators had received new information that prompted them to search the brush for something specific. It remains unknown whether the search uncovered any new evidence or produced a breakthrough in the case.