Six months after the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department has officially released the full text of two ransom notes sent to a local news station shortly after she was abducted. Investigators hope that making the letters public will lead someone to recognize the suspect’s distinct writing style and syntax.
The first message was sent via email to Tucson CBS affiliate KOLD-TV on February 2, addressed directly to Guthrie’s daughter, Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie. In the note, the sender claimed responsibility for taking Nancy Guthrie from her home, demanding four million dollars in Bitcoin within three days. The letter threatened to increase the demand to six million dollars before threatening her life if payment was not received by February 9. The message also included unpublicized details from inside the home, mentioning a broken floodlight in the backyard and a smart watch on the bedroom floor.
A second letter sent to the station on February 6 delivered a grim claim, stating that Nancy Guthrie had died shortly after her abduction. “We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition,” the note read. “We never intended to hurt her, that was not our intention. She perished shortly after she was taken. We believe it was heart related. She is buried in nature now”.
In a statement accompanying Friday’s release, the sheriff’s department explained that the notes reveal “distinctive patterns of word choice, syntax, and phraseology”. Authorities believe these unique linguistic characteristics could trigger recognition among the public and yield new leads for detectives and the FBI.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her home outside Tucson on January 31, and evidence at the scene led officials to classify her disappearance as a kidnapping. Despite extensive land searches and ongoing investigations by local and federal law enforcement, no suspects have been arrested, and her whereabouts remain unknown. Anyone with information regarding the author of the notes or the investigation is urged to contact the FBI tip line.
