Second Ransom Note in Nancy Guthrie Case Claims Her Death Shortly After Abduction, Remains Unverified

A second ransom note connected to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, claims that Guthrie died shortly after being abducted from her Tucson, Arizona, home in early February, though authorities say they have not been able to verify that claim and continue to treat the case as an active missing-person investigation.

The message, dated Feb. 6, states that Guthrie “perished shortly after she was taken” and says she is “buried in nature.” The note’s author apologizes to the Guthrie family, describing her death as unintentional and attributing it to a “heart related” cause. The note continues, “We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition. We never intended to hurt her, that was not our intention. She perished shortly after she was taken. We believe it was heart related.” It concludes, “Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome,” followed by an apology to the family.

Guthrie was last seen on the evening of Jan. 31 at her home in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills neighborhood. Family members reported her missing the following day after she failed to attend church, prompting an investigation that authorities have consistently treated as a suspected abduction from the outset.

An earlier ransom note, received Feb. 2, demanded $4 million in bitcoin by 5 p.m. on Feb. 5, with the demand increasing to $6 million if payment was delayed until Feb. 9. That first note included details investigators say suggested the author may have had direct knowledge of the crime scene, including references to a white smartwatch found on the floor beside Guthrie’s bed and a damaged floodlight outside the home. Investigators have said those details are significant but have not confirmed the note’s authenticity.

In late July, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department publicly released both ransom notes, saying it hoped members of the public might recognize the wording, writing style or other distinctive linguistic characteristics that could help identify the sender. Investigators believe both notes were sent from the same IP address, though the sender has not been publicly identified.

Savannah Guthrie has previously said she believes the two released notes may be authentic, distinguishing them from other messages the family received that she believes were fraudulent. “I tend to believe those are real,” she said in March, adding that the family had responded to the notes. In February, she also posted a public appeal on Instagram directed at whoever sent the messages. “We received your message and we understand,” she wrote. “We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her.” She later told fellow “Today” host Hoda Kotb that the family could not find peace without knowing what had happened to her mother, urging anyone with information to contact investigators.

More than six months after Guthrie’s disappearance, the investigation remains active, with the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department continuing to pursue the case jointly. No arrests have been made and no suspect has been publicly identified. Authorities have reviewed hundreds of hours of surveillance footage, including video showing a masked individual outside Guthrie’s home on the night she disappeared, though investigators have not publicly identified that person or confirmed whether they were involved in the abduction.

A combined reward remains available for information leading to Guthrie’s location or the identification of those responsible, including a $1 million reward from the family and a separate $100,000 reward from the FBI. Investigators have pursued numerous leads throughout the case, including a volunteer search near Nogales, Mexico, prompted by an anonymous tip. Mexican authorities later said they found no evidence Guthrie had crossed into Sonora, and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said it had not coordinated that particular search effort.

In June, deputies arrested Alexander Zabel Jr., 54, outside Guthrie’s home following repeated complaints about his behavior in the area. Authorities have not publicly linked Zabel to Guthrie’s disappearance.

The sheriff’s office continues asking the public to review the released ransom notes for any details that might help identify their author. While investigators regard the notes as significant pieces of evidence, they have not confirmed whether the person or people who wrote them were directly involved in Guthrie’s abduction, leaving open the possibility that the messages could have come from someone unconnected to the actual crime.

Anyone with information related to the case is urged to contact 911, the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or the Pima County Sheriff’s Department directly at 520-351-4900. Authorities have emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing and that no aspect of Guthrie’s fate, including the claims made in the second ransom note, has been independently confirmed as of the most recent public updates on the case.