Police release Nancy Guthrie ransom notes six months after disappearance, searching for linguistic clues

The ransom notes

Arizona authorities released two ransom notes Friday that were sent to local media in the days after Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Tucson home on 1 February. The notes had been mentioned early in the investigation, but this is the first time their full contents have been made public, a move the Pima County Sheriff's Department described as an effort to generate new leads nearly six months into a stalled case.

The first note, addressed to Savannah Guthrie and received by Tucson CBS affiliate KOLD-TV 13 News on 2 February, claimed the 84-year-old was "safe but scared" and demanded $4 million in Bitcoin by 5 p.m. on Thursday, 5 February. If that deadline passed, the ransom would increase to $6 million, payable by 5 p.m. on Monday, 9 February. "If payment is not received by the last deadline on Monday the 9th at 5PM, she will be killed," the note stated, warning Savannah not to "play games" and that "law enforcement will not be able to help you."

Your mother is aware of this and her life is in your hands.

The note included two details about the state of Nancy Guthrie's home: a broken backyard floodlight and a white smart watch on the floor of her bedroom, which investigators said indicated it could be authentic. Around that time, Savannah Guthrie said in a video that her family was willing to pay but needed proof the person being paid actually held their mother.

A second note reports her death

The second note, sent on 6 February, before the final deadline, was addressed to the Guthrie family and delivered grim news: Nancy had died unexpectedly of a medical condition while in captivity. "We did not fully grasp the seriousness" of her physical condition, the note said. "We never intended to hurt her, that was not our intention."

She is buried in nature now. Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome. We are truly sorry.

Authorities have not said whether Nancy Guthrie is still alive, nor have they confirmed the authenticity of the notes. But the sheriff's department said investigators hoped someone would recognize the writer's patterns. "We believe these distinctive linguistic characteristics may be recognizable to someone who knows or has interacted with the notes' writer," the department said in a statement. "A friend, family member, coworker, classmate or acquaintance may recognize these patterns of expression and possess information that could help identify the individual responsible."

The investigation

Nancy Guthrie disappeared in the early hours of 1 February from her home in the Catalina Foothills outside Tucson. Surveillance footage from a Nest doorbell camera showed a masked and armed man at her door, but investigators have not identified the person. Blood was found near the entrance to the home, leading authorities to believe she was taken against her will. Despite a search involving thousands of law enforcement officers and volunteers, no trace of her has been found and no suspects have emerged.

In a setback disclosed by Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos to Fox News Digital, a hair found at the scene yielded no DNA evidence. "It came back... there's no DNA," Nanos said. "But does that mean the hair isn't that of the suspect? We won't know that till we have the suspect's hair." He added that the hair was sent to a specialist laboratory in California and that the result came back just weeks ago. "We believe, just as the family does, just as Savannah does, somebody knows something. We need that person to call us."

Savannah Guthrie posted a video to Instagram earlier this week renewing her plea. "Our family is in agony," she said. "We are in a nightmare that will not end."

I truly believe it is never too late to do the right thing. Help us bring this situation to an end.

Legal action

Two men questioned early in the investigation intend to file a $3.25 million wrongful arrest lawsuit against the Pima County sheriff. A notice of claim dated Monday and obtained by NBC affiliate KVOA names Carlos Palazuelos, who is seeking $2.5 million, alleging he was arrested at gunpoint and held for seven to eight hours without probable cause before being released without charge. Daniel Maddox is seeking $500,000, and his mother Josefina Maddox is claiming $250,000 for property damage investigators allegedly caused while searching her home. The claim alleges that Sheriff Nanos posted on social media that a person had been arrested in connection with the investigation, causing reputational harm.