The Nancy Guthrie ransom note was ‘carefully crafted,’ listed two deadlines, contained key details
The ransom note, which demanded money in exchange for the return of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother, was “carefully crafted” and included details not previously made public, according to people who read it.
The note became the center of attention as authorities were still frantically trying to find 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie five days later after she was apparently kidnapped from her Tucson-area home. Her family have now produced two heartfelt videos pleading with her suspected kidnappers to contact them.
Two deadlines
Although the entire note was not published, some details were published. Heith Janke, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix division, said the letter included an initial deadline of 5 p.m. Thursday and a second request by Monday. He declined to say what would be threatened if deadlines were not met.
Nancy’s son, Camron Guthrie, released a statement. video On Thursday afternoon, around the original deadline for the ransom letter, I was pleading with the kidnapper.
“Whoever is holding our mother there, we want to hear from you,” he said. “We haven’t heard anything directly. We need you to reach us and we need a way to contact you so we can move forward.”
Harry Levin, founder of celebrity news site TMZ, told CNN he reviewed one of three identical letters sent to media outlets and said “the Monday deadline is much more important.”
TMZ reported The alleged note demanded millions of cryptocurrencies for Guthrie’s release. Levin said Thursday night that TMZ confirmed the bitcoin address was real.
Family and authorities are concerned because Nancy Guthrie has many physical ailments and a seemingly non-existent need for daily medication. Authorities said they had not yet received evidence that Guthrie was alive, but they were acting on that assumption despite real concerns that he might be dead.
“I’m scared of it, I think we all are,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said. “This is Day 4 or 5 and we don’t know if he’s still on his medication and that in itself could be fatal.”
‘Carefully prepared letter’
Levin and a Tucson-area journalist who said they saw the ransom note offered a few additional details.
“This is a letter explaining exactly what they want done and what the consequences will be if they don’t get what they want,” Levin wrote in another article. Interview with CNN.
“They started the letter by saying Nancy was fine but she was scared,” Levin said. “The letter says there will be no way to contact me. … They went to great lengths to send us this email to ensure it remained anonymous.”
“This is a carefully crafted letter, and this is not something someone put together in five minutes,” he added.
Unique details
Law enforcement sources who spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity said the ransom note was deemed legitimate because it contained at least two details about Guthrie’s home that had not been made public.
Janke, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix division, said details about the Apple Watch and the projector were available, but he declined to go into specifics.
According to Levin, the note mentioned a specific detail of the Apple Watch that he found important.
“This placement of Apple Watch, if this is true, they’re going to take this seriously right away,” Levin told CNN.
Mary Colman, A presenter from KOLD-TV added: “Most of this is information that only someone holding him for ransom would know; some very sensitive information and things that people who were present when he was taken captive would know.”
race against time
Authorities describe the search as a race against time.
“At this time, we believe Nancy is still there. We want her home,” Nanos said at Thursday’s news conference. A massive team of local and federal partners will continue to work on the case “around the clock,” the official said.
“There is no evidence of life,” Janke said. “… Time is of the essence.”
Although Guthrie was lucid, his family said he had physical ailments. He had a pacemaker and was often in pain, the family said.
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings shared an emotional video pleading with their mother’s potential kidnappers.
“He lives in constant pain. He has no medicine,” said Savannah Guthrie. “He needs it to survive, and he needs it to avoid pain.”
He pleaded for the suspected kidnapper to contact them.
“We live in a world where sounds and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a doubt that he is alive and that you have him,” he said in the video he shared on Instagram. “We want to hear from you and we’re ready to listen. Please reach out.”
