A Disappearance Followed by a Multimillion-Dollar Demand

Nancy disappeared from her Tucson residence in the early hours of Feb. 1.

Investigators believe she was abducted, and evidence recovered from the property has become central to the investigation. Authorities previously said blood discovered on the exterior porch was matched to Nancy’s DNA.

Surveillance material released by the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office has also added an unsettling visual element to the case. Images and video show a masked, armed man standing on Nancy’s front porch in the middle of the night on the date investigators believe she was taken.

Then came the first ransom message.

According to the sheriff’s department, the note was among communications sent to several news organizations, including Arizona CBS affiliate KOLD-TV 13 News, on Feb. 2—just one day after Nancy disappeared.

Addressed directly to Savannah Guthrie, the message announced that its writer had Nancy and claimed she was frightened but safe.

The writer demanded the equivalent of $4 million in Bitcoin by 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5. If that deadline passed without payment, the amount would rise to $6 million, with another deadline set for 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9.

The note promised that Nancy would be released within 12 hours after the cryptocurrency payment reached a specified Bitcoin address.

But it also included a stark threat.

If the final deadline passed without payment, the writer claimed Nancy would be killed. The message told Savannah that her mother knew what was happening and placed responsibility for her survival on the family.

There would be no negotiation, the note warned.

It also attempted to discourage cooperation with investigators, telling the family that law enforcement would not be able to help.

One portion of the released document was redacted. Elsewhere, however, the writer included highly specific details from Nancy’s home, mentioning a white smartwatch on the floor near the foot of her bed and a damaged white floodlight in the backyard.

Days Later, the Message Changed

A second note arrived on Feb. 6, according to authorities.

This time, the message was addressed to the Guthrie family rather than Savannah alone. It was considerably shorter, and instead of demanding money, its writer delivered a grim claim.

The sender said those responsible had underestimated the seriousness of Nancy’s physical condition and insisted they had never planned to harm her.

According to the note, Nancy died shortly after being abducted.

The writer suggested her death may have been related to her heart and claimed she had been buried somewhere in nature. The message further told the family that nothing they could have done would have changed what happened.

“We are truly sorry,” the note concluded.

For Nancy’s loved ones, however, the message did not provide the answer they desperately needed: where she was.

Months later, that question remains at the center of the investigation.

Investigators Hope Someone Recognizes the Writer

By releasing the notes publicly, investigators are seeking more than renewed attention for the case.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department believes someone who has encountered the person responsible for writing the messages may recognize distinctive patterns in the language or behavior surrounding the disappearance.

Authorities are asking people to think about individuals who may have undergone noticeable changes around the time of the crime—including shifts in mood or appearance, unexplained injuries, or an unusual level of interest or lack of interest in Nancy’s neighborhood and the investigation.

Investigators have also continued examining physical evidence recovered from the home.

Along with the blood matched to Nancy, authorities have been analyzing a mixed DNA sample that could potentially help identify a suspect. The investigation is being conducted with assistance from the FBI.

Officials have not ruled out the possibility that a single person was responsible for the abduction.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos expressed optimism in May as the case passed the 100-day mark, saying he believed investigators were getting closer to an answer.

Not every piece of evidence has produced a breakthrough, however. On July 31, the sheriff’s department confirmed that hair recovered from Nancy’s home had not led investigators to a suspect.

Savannah Guthrie Makes an Emotional Appeal

As investigators continue working the case, Savannah Guthrie and her family have repeatedly appealed for information that could lead them to Nancy.

On July 27, just days before the ransom notes were publicly released, the 54-year-old Today anchor shared an emotional video directed toward those who may know what happened.

Rather than focusing on anger, Savannah appealed to the possibility that someone involved could still choose to help.

She pleaded for them to reveal where investigators should search for her mother and emphasized her belief that it was not too late to make a different choice.

“Help us find her, tell us where to look for her,” Savannah said during the appeal.

She ended with another request: “Please make the right choice.”

The family’s search has also been backed by substantial rewards.

The FBI has offered $100,000 for information that leads to Nancy’s recovery or an arrest connected to the case. Savannah and her family have separately offered a $1 million reward.

Six Months Later, One Question Remains

The release of the two notes gives the public an unprecedented look at the messages sent during the earliest days of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.

Together, they tell two dramatically different stories.

The first presented Nancy as a living hostage whose release depended on a multimillion-dollar payment. Only days later, the second claimed she had already died unexpectedly and had been buried somewhere outdoors.

Yet the most important mystery has not changed.

Nancy has not been found.

Authorities continue to focus on evidence from her home, surveillance footage of the masked man seen on her porch and the language contained in the ransom communications. They are also hoping that someone outside the investigation will recognize a detail investigators cannot connect to a name.

For Savannah and the rest of the Guthrie family, the goal remains painfully simple: they want to know where Nancy is and finally bring an agonizing search to an end.