Nancy Guthrie went missing in February and has still not been found (Picture: NBC/Today/Reuters)
Nancy Guthrie’s kidnappers reportedly apologised for her death in a ransom note asking for $4million, according to a new investigation.
NBC presenter Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother went missing from her home earlier this year and her whereabouts remain unknown.
A new investigation into the case has now focused on a series of ransom notes from Nancy’s alleged kidnappers, sent hours after she was reported missing on February 1.
The first alleged ransom note demanding payment was forwarded to the Pima County Sheriff after being sent to TMZ and other media outlets.
It reportedly demanded that $4million (approximately £3m) in Bitcoin be paid before a February 5 deadline, after which it would rise to $6m (approximately £4.5m).
Investigators are said to have had reason to find the message credible, with accurate details in the note, according to a report in Air Mail.
The new report questions whether law enforcement made a mistake in the investigation’s early days (Picture: NBC/Today/Reuters)
Investigators reportedly chose to send a smaller sum than asked in an attempt to trace the money (Picture: NBC/Today/Reuters)
These are said to have included a description of Nancy’s clothes and a broken light at her home in Arizona, where she was taken from.
It has been claimed that the alleged kidnappers described Nancy as ‘safe but scared’ in the note sent before the deadline.
However, investigators reportedly chose to send a far smaller sum than asked,$152, in an attempt to track where the money went. It has been claimed that money in the Bitcoin account remained untouched.
Afterwards, another ransom note is said to have been delivered, offering an ‘apology’ for Nancy’s death and claiming her body could be delivered for $4m.
A timeline of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance
January 31: Nancy Guthrie was last seen by her son-in-law, who dropped her off after dinner
February 1: Nancy fails to attend church and is reported missing
February 2: Sheriff says they believe she did not leave her home willingly
February 3: Investigators confirm they are analysing an apparent ransom note
February 7: Savannah Guthrie and her siblings release an emotional video pleading for their mother’s return, saying they are willing to pay
February 10: Surveillance images from Nancy’s home are released, with a person detained hours later
February 11: The man detained is released
Nancy has been missing for nearly five months now (Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
At the time, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed they were working with the FBI to authenticate the first alleged ransom note.
Today show presenter Savannah and her siblings told her mother’s kidnappers that they would pay for her return in a video on February 7.
The news anchor was sitting with her brother and sister, Camron and Annie, holding hands as she said: ‘We beg you now to return our mother to us, so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace.
‘This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.’
Metro contacted the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and Savannah Guthrie’s representatives for comment.
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