Contents of notes in the Nancy Guthrie case could spark renewed public interest in the search. Here’s what we know
By Amanda Musa, Karina Tsui, CNN
(CNN) — Newly disclosed details from a note sent to news outlets days after Nancy Guthrie vanished, claiming the mother of NBC “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie died, could renew interest in a case that first attracted America’s attention nearly 5 months ago.
The 84-year-old was taken from her home in Arizona’s Catalina Foothills on February 1. In the days that followed, two notes purportedly written by the abductors were sent to a number of news outlets including CNN affiliate KOLD-TV in Tucson, Arizona. But the full content of one of the notes was not publicly shared.
The second note said Guthrie was dead, law enforcement sources told CNN at the time.
The information, the authenticity of which officials have said little publicly about, was not initially reported by CNN and the local news outlets at the request of law enforcement and the Guthrie family so any future communications with kidnappers or potential suspects could be authenticated, CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller said.
Authorities are hopeful the contents of the second note, revealed in the past few days, will lead to new tips in the search for Nancy Guthrie, who was in poor health and relied on medication to stay healthy.
Here’s what else we know about the notes:
What did each note say?
An initial note sent to some media outlets in early February was a demand for millions of dollars in bitcoin in exchange for Nancy Guthrie’s release. Several media outlets, including CNN affiliates KGUN-TV and KOLD-TV, received the purported ransom letter and reported on it at the time.
The following day, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings, Annie Guthrie and Camron Guthrie, released the first of several emotional videos pleading for their mother’s return.
Within a week after Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, a second note said Guthrie was dead – and that while abductors did not mean to kill her, she died shortly after the kidnapping, the law enforcement sources told CNN at the time.
Both notes were sent from the same electronic source, law enforcement sources said.
On February 7, the Guthrie family seemingly responded to the notes in an emotional video posted on social media as Savannah said: “We got your message, and we understand.”
“We beg you now to return our mother to us so we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace,” she added, seated again alongside her siblings.
Why were claims Nancy Guthrie had died not reported?
The contents of the second note were known to CNN and KOLD-TV, which received both notes in February. CNN learned about the contents of the second note through law enforcement sources at the time.
CNN and the news station agreed to a request from law enforcement and the family to hold off on reporting the contents of both notes so any future communications with the kidnapper or kidnappers could be authenticated.
Officials have said little about the authenticity of the letters, leaving questions about their validity unanswered. At that time, investigators were still determining whether the notes were authentic and sent by the kidnappers, according to law enforcement sources.
After the second note arrived, investigators worked to authenticate whether it was true that Nancy Guthrie was dead, something they were ultimately unable to verify, the sources said.
Why is this information being released now?
Questions surrounding the ransom note resurfaced Monday after TMZ founder Harvey Levin posted a video to X addressing speculations about the contents of a letter sent to TMZ “early on” in the investigation.
Levin said claims he received a ransom note apologizing to the Guthrie family for Nancy’s kidnapping and death were false.
TMZ also had received several emails “early on” from someone claiming to know the alleged kidnappers and Nancy Guthrie’s whereabouts, seeking approximately $100,000 in exchange for information, Levin said.
“There’s something about those emails that made me believe that this guy may well have known who the kidnappers were,” he said in the video, adding the individual seemed to suggest Guthrie was dead after sending an email saying: “Time is no longer of the essence.”
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which has been leading the case since Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, told CNN Monday the investigation remains “active and ongoing,” and directed other questions regarding the notes to the FBI.
The Phoenix FBI and the Guthrie family did not respond to CNN’s request for comment this week.
Where does the case stand today?
The work on the case has not slowed or stopped, although the number of public tips has slowed, according to law enforcement sources.
Law enforcement is believed to have drawn earlier clues from security footage capturing a masked man carrying a handgun outside Nancy Guthrie’s house. It’s not known whether more than one person may have been involved in her disappearance.
Yet, law enforcement officials, both local and federal, told CNN they still have no main suspect, nor any particular person of interest.
The man seen in the doorbell video was wearing a black, 25-liter Ozark Trail backpack –– another clue authorities have tried to trace.
FBI and local authorities have reviewed “thousands of hours” of video obtained from the greater Tucson area, a law enforcement source familiar with the case told CNN.
Investigators have also continued to analyze DNA found at Guthrie’s home, a process that can take months, CNN’s senior correspondent Josh Campbell wrote in a recent analysis.
“Law enforcement experts say solving the case at this stage may come down to continued tenacity by the investigative team, the addition of fresh eyes who may be able to look at the existing evidence differently, a tip from a member of the public, or, yes, pure luck,” Campbell noted.
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CNN’s Holly Yan contributed to this report.
