Released Nancy Guthrie ransom notes generated ‘slight increase’ in tips: Sheriff’s department

Savannah Guthrie and mother Nancy Guthrie, June 15, 2023. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — The recent release of two credible ransom notes sent to Nancy Guthrie’s family in the days after her abduction generated a “slight increase” in tips, but none that have cracked the case, authorities told ABC News.

The 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie was kidnapped from her Tucson, Arizona, home in the early hours of Feb. 1 and remains missing.

On Friday, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department released details from two ransom notes received by Tucson media in the days after the abduction.

The first note, sent on Feb. 2 to Savannah Guthrie, said, “We have your mother Nancy. She is safe but scared.” The note asked for millions of dollars in Bitcoin and said “she will be killed” if payment was not received.

The note included descriptions of a smartwatch near her bed and a damaged floodlight in the home’s backyard.

The second note, sent on Feb. 6 to the Guthrie family, said Nancy Guthrie died and “is buried in nature now,” according to the sheriff’s department.

“We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition,” the note stated. “We never intended to hurt her, that was not our intention. She perished shortly after she was taken.”

The note included an apology and said to the family, “Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome. We want your family to know this and hope you all can find peace.”

In response to an inquiry from ABC News, the sheriff’s department said Tuesday that “investigators have seen a slight increase in tips since the two ransom notes were released,” adding that “all tips have been followed up on.”

Savannah Guthrie again pleaded for help in an Instagram post Saturday, writing, “We need someone to come forward.”

“Someone knows something. Someone suspects something,” the journalist said. “Someone recognizes the writing in the ransom demand notes. Someone has noticed something different, strange, troubling or just unusual — perhaps with someone they deeply love. Perhaps they are afraid to come forward.”

“We are real people, facing real grief,” she said. “We will never stop looking for answers.”

Anyone with information is urged to call 911, the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.