Nancy Guthrie
Nancy Guthrie

The text of what is believed to be the first ransom note sent in connection with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, mother of "Today" show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, has been read publicly for the first time by a journalist who reviewed the document, offering new detail nearly six months into one of the country's most closely watched missing-persons investigations.

Briana Whitney, a former Arizona television reporter now covering breaking news for the Crime Junkie podcast, described the alleged note's contents during an appearance on the podcast, saying she had personally reviewed the document while covering the case earlier this year.

What the alleged note said

According to Whitney's account, the note opened by addressing Savannah Guthrie directly, stating that the sender was holding Nancy Guthrie and that she was "safe but scared." The message went on to describe a ransom demand, stating that Nancy would be released within 12 hours of payment being sent to a specified Bitcoin address, with a maximum holding period of seven days.

The note reportedly included a deadline, warning that if payment was not received by a specific date, the consequences would be fatal, and stated that Nancy Guthrie was aware of the threat. The message also warned that there would be no further contact or negotiation, and cautioned against involving law enforcement, according to Whitney's reading of the document.

Whitney said the note additionally included specific, seemingly personal details about the scene at Nancy Guthrie's home, describing a white smartwatch found on the floor near her bed and a floodlight that had been destroyed in the backyard, details Whitney suggested lent the note an added layer of unsettling specificity.

Part of a series of disputed communications

The note described by Whitney is understood to be the first in a series of alleged ransom communications connected to the case. According to earlier reporting from TMZ and other outlets, subsequent notes were later sent to media organizations, including at least one that reportedly described Nancy Guthrie as having "perished" and being "buried in nature," and others that offered information about a possible suspect in exchange for cryptocurrency payment.

Investigators familiar with the case have said they believe it is likely that at least two of the ransom notes sent to Nancy Guthrie's family were written by the same person or group responsible for her disappearance, according to CBS News. However, the authenticity and origin of the various notes that have surfaced throughout the case have remained a subject of ongoing scrutiny and skepticism among investigators and outside experts, given inconsistencies between different messages and questions about why a sender seeking a reward would request payment in Bitcoin rather than the six-figure reward already publicly offered through official channels.

Background on the case

Nancy Guthrie, 84, was reported missing on Feb. 1 from her home in Tucson, Arizona, after she failed to appear for a scheduled virtual gathering and a friend alerted the Guthrie family. She was last seen alive the night before, when she was dropped off at her home by her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni. Investigators later recovered previously lost surveillance footage from Nancy's home that showed she had been taken from the property against her will, confirming law enforcement's belief that she had been abducted rather than gone missing voluntarily.

Physical evidence recovered from the scene, including blood found on the porch and just inside the front door, has reinforced investigators' assessment that the abduction involved violence. Doorbell camera footage reviewed by investigators reportedly captured a single armed individual on the porch at the time of the incident, though authorities have not publicly confirmed a suspect's identity nearly six months into the investigation.

The family's continued search

Savannah Guthrie has remained a visible public presence throughout the investigation, giving an emotional interview earlier this year that revealed previously undisclosed details about the crime scene before returning to co-anchor the "Today" show. The Guthrie family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to Nancy's safe return, while the FBI has separately offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, encouraging anyone with relevant information to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Search efforts connected to the case have extended beyond Arizona's borders in recent months, including volunteer searches conducted in Sonora, Mexico, after unconfirmed tips suggested Nancy's remains might be located there. Those searches have not resulted in her discovery, though volunteer groups involved in the effort have uncovered other unrelated unmarked graves during their search operations.

An investigation still without answers

Nearly six months after Nancy Guthrie's disappearance, the case remains unsolved, with no publicly confirmed suspect and no resolution to the competing claims made across the various ransom notes and tips that have surfaced throughout the investigation. Some retired law enforcement figures who have followed the case closely have described it in recent weeks as having effectively gone cold, even as the FBI and Pima County Sheriff's Department continue to say the investigation remains open and active.

The newly detailed contents of the alleged first ransom note add another layer of documented detail to a case that has drawn sustained national attention, both for its unresolved nature and for the disturbing specificity of the communications investigators have received throughout its course. Whether the note reviewed by Whitney can be authenticated as coming from whoever was responsible for Nancy Guthrie's disappearance remains an open question, one that investigators have not publicly resolved as the search for answers continues.

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