Heartbreaking new details have emerged around the first days of Nancy Guthrie‘s kidnapping, including claims that Nancy died within the first five days and was now “buried with nature.”
The contents of two ransom notes have been released for the first time by Pima County’s Sheriff’s Office. The first was sent on February 2 to local news station KOLD-TV and was addressed to Nancy’s daughter, Savannah Guthrie, the national TV anchor who hosts The Today Show.
First ransom letter
“We have your mother Nancy. She is safe but scared. She will be held for ransom and once payment is received she will be released unharmed,” the letter began. The random was for $4 million USD to be sent “before 5PM on Thursday the 5th.”
Payment was to be sent to a bitcoin address.
© KOLD TVSecond ransom letter
A second letter, sent on February 6, two days after Savannah and her siblings released a video pleading for their mother’s return, claimed that Nancy had died, apologizing to the Guthrie family and shared that she was “buried in nature now”.
“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. She is buried in nature now,” the letter read.
“Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome. We want your family to know this and hope you all can find peace. We are truly sorry.”
© KOLD TVNancy suffered from cardiac issues, high blood pressure, and limited mobility, and she relied on an implanted pacemaker alongside daily prescription medications.
The first letter offered an indication that it was legitimate by sharing details of Nancy’s home, writing: “She had a white smart watch on the floor of the foot of her bed and the white flood light in backyard was destroyed.”
In June, NBC News was the first to report that news organizations had received letters in the early days of the case claiming Nancy was dead.
Savannah’s plea
The following morning, Savannah, who returned to The Today Show in April after a two-month break, was seen in tears as she begged viewers to please “come forward.”
“Somebody knows something,” she said.
Nancy Guthrie timeline
Nancy was last seen on the evening of January 31 when she was dropped off at her home by her daughter and son-in-law after dinner around 9.50 pm local time.
She was reported missing the morning February 1 when she did not show up to her regular Sunday church service.
Pima County Sheriff’s Department has been working with the FBI since February in the case, and they have recovered videos from a ring doorbell camera that showed an unknown man appearing on two videos that ‘may be from two separate days.”
The front doorbell camera disconnected around 1.57 am local time and smart home software detected a person on camera around 2.12 am local time. At 2.28 am, Nancy’s pacemaker app disconnected from her phone.
“These videos are critical to our understanding of the unidentified male’s behaviors and choices. They indicate he took steps to prepare for the event on the night of January 31 to February 1,” the Sheriff’s office has said in a new statement.
The ransom notes also “reveal distinctive patterns of word choice, syntax, and phraseology that reflect the writer’s unique linguistic style,” with the Sheriff asking anyone who may recognize “these patterns of expression and possess information that could help identify the individual responsible” to come forward.
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