NANCY GUTHRIE CASE TAKES A NEW TURN AS INVESTIGATORS RELEASE MESSAGES THEY HOPE COULD REVEAL A CRUCIAL CLUE

More than six months after Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Arizona home, investigators are turning to an unusual potential clue — the language used in messages sent shortly after she vanished.

The 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie was taken from her Tucson-area home in the early hours of February 1.

Despite an extensive investigation, Nancy has not been located.

Now, authorities are hoping that the smallest details in two messages could help identify the person behind them.

TWO MESSAGES, TWO VERY DIFFERENT STORIES

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department recently released two messages that were sent to a Tucson television station shortly after Nancy disappeared.

The first demanded a $4 million ransom in Bitcoin, claiming Nancy was being held and would be released after payment.

The message also contained details about her home, including references to her Apple Watch and a floodlight near the back of the property — details that investigators considered significant.

Four days later, another message arrived.

This time, the tone was completely different.

It claimed Nancy had died shortly after she was taken and suggested that she had been buried somewhere in nature.

Investigators have not publicly established whether every claim contained in the messages is true.

POLICE ARE FOCUSING ON THE WORDS

What makes the messages particularly interesting to investigators is not only what they say, but how they are written.

The sheriff’s department said the communications contain distinctive patterns involving word choice, sentence structure and phrasing.

Officials believe those characteristics could be recognizable to someone who knows or has previously interacted with the writer.

That means a seemingly insignificant phrase could potentially become an important lead.

Someone may recognize the writing style.

Someone may remember hearing the same unusual expression.

Or someone may realize that a person they know could have written the messages.

THE TWO MESSAGES MAY HAVE BEEN SENT BY THE SAME PERSON

Investigators have previously reported that the two communications appeared to originate from the same IP address, although the address was masked and authorities have not publicly identified its owner.

That raises another important question.

Was the same person responsible for both messages?

If so, why did the story suddenly change from a ransom demand to a claim that Nancy had already died?

Or could someone have inserted themselves into the investigation after seeing media coverage?

Those possibilities remain unresolved.

SIX MONTHS OF QUESTIONS

Nancy’s disappearance has now stretched on for more than half a year.

Her family has repeatedly appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

Savannah Guthrie has also urged the person responsible — or anyone who knows what happened — to make the right choice and provide information that could help bring answers to the family.

The FBI continues to offer a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to Nancy’s location or the arrest of anyone involved, while the Guthrie family has offered an additional reward.

COULD THE WORDING HOLD THE ANSWER?

Investigators now hope that someone, somewhere, recognizes the language used in those messages.

It could be a particular expression.

A distinctive sentence structure.

A familiar turn of phrase.

Or simply a writing style that feels unmistakably familiar.

For six months, Nancy Guthrie’s family has lived without knowing what happened to her.

Now investigators are asking the public to look at the case from a different angle.

Could the words left behind by the person claiming to know Nancy’s fate ultimately become the clue that finally helps investigators find the truth?