A ransom note reportedly has revealed the fate of Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of Today show presenter Savannah Guthrie, claiming she is dead and demanding millions of pounds to disclose the whereabouts of her body, according to the news site Air Mail.
Ransom Note Apology and Demand
Reports suggest that one of the ransom notes received in February issued a “sputtering and laboured” apology for her inadvertent death. Sources claim that the 84-year-old's body was potentially offered to be returned in exchange for a sum of money. The message arrived on February 6, after the individual had previously asked for $4 million for Nancy’s safe return.
Family's Response
Savannah Guthrie has said, “I believe the two notes that we received that we responded to, I tend to believe those are real.” Both she and her siblings — brother Camron Guthrie and sister Annie Guthrie — directly addressed the alleged abductor in multiple Instagram videos, pleading for Nancy's return. Savannah later seemed to come to terms with the possibility her mother might be dead, offering $1 million for Nancy’s return and stating, “We know that she may be lost. She may already be gone. … And if this is what is to be, then we will accept it, but we need to know where she is. We need her to come home.”
Investigation Status
As the search for the mother of the TODAY Show host approaches five months, authorities have yet to identify any suspect or suspects. In February, the FBI released doorbell camera footage from Nancy's Tucson, Arizona home showing a masked and armed person on her porch. The suspect was wearing gloves, a backpack, and a gun holster and was tampering with the camera. Officials discovered DNA from gloves and sent it for testing, but there was no match in the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). The Pima County Department, working with the FBI, stated they would use investigative genetic genealogy to analyse the DNA evidence, but there has been no update on results.
Retired FBI Agent's Critique
Retired FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to question the investigation. On Thursday, June 18, she noted that “[Law Enforcement] and the FBI are making no sense.” She asked, “Where is the enhanced photo of Porch guy? It exists. Why not share with the public for their help?” She added, “Billboards: Why is Nancy's face on them? Put Porch Guy's face & add Spanish if you want more of the public's help. Or do you know who porch Guy is?” She concluded with calls to action: “Release the enhanced photos. Change the billboards. Commence searching the desert.”
