Sheriff Explains Decision to Release Nancy Guthrie's Ransom Notes as Case Marks Six-Month Milestone Now

The sheriff leading the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, mother of "Today" show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, has explained why authorities decided to publicly release two ransom notes tied to the case, saying investigators hope the letters could "jog" the memory of someone in the community who might recognize their author.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos released the two notes on July 31 through the Pima County Sheriff's Department, marking the first time the documents had been made public. In a video posted to X on Aug. 1, timed to mark six months since Guthrie's disappearance, Nanos explained the reasoning behind the decision. "Well, really two reasons," Nanos said, noting first that the notes were already circulating publicly, with several media outlets having obtained copies. "We just saw what was being said, and we felt like we needed to put something out that's really accurate, and this was the time."

Nanos said the second reason centered on the specific content of the letters themselves. "Investigators felt like there's a number of pieces of information in these notes that just might jar someone to say, 'I've heard that,' or [recognize] the wording, the style of the writing... it might jog somebody to think about who would've written this, how was this done?" he said.

The first note, sent to CBS affiliate KOLD on Feb. 2, a day after the 84-year-old Guthrie was reported missing from her Tucson-area home, demanded a payment of $4 million in bitcoin. According to the note's contents, it stated, "We have your mother, Nancy. She is safe but scared," adding that she would "be held for ransom, and once payment is received, she will be released unharmed." The note warned Guthrie's family that she would be "killed" if the ransom was not paid, with a deadline set for 5 p.m. that Thursday.

A second note, sent to the same station on Feb. 6 and addressed to the Guthrie family, offered a starkly different account, claiming Guthrie had died. It read, in part, "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. Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome."

Nanos said investigators regard the contents of both notes as significant to the ongoing case. "Anybody who reads them ... there are clearly things in there that are very concerning to our investigative team," he said. Nanos added that Guthrie's family was informed the notes would be released before the sheriff's department made them public.

The sheriff described the broader investigation as continuing to actively move forward despite the lack of a publicly named suspect six months after Guthrie's disappearance. "We've got a lot of work ahead of us," Nanos said. "We've already done a lot of work, but we still have more. Not just in DNA, where labs across the country are working together, but in forensics, analysis of thousands of videos and photos." He said detectives continue reviewing tens of thousands of tips submitted by the public since the investigation began.

Nanos also pushed back on speculation surrounding individuals previously questioned in connection with the case, emphasizing that being interviewed or having a property searched does not necessarily mean a person has been cleared as a possible suspect. "I can't be more clear," Nanos said, declining to rule out anyone specifically in connection with the case at this stage of the investigation.

Savannah Guthrie marked the six-month anniversary of her mother's disappearance with a renewed public appeal on social media, describing the toll the uncertainty has taken on her family. "We are begging for help. We are desperate. We need someone to come forward. Someone knows something," she wrote in an Instagram post. Guthrie has separately said in past comments that "there is a hole inside us that can never be filled," and has directly urged anyone who recognizes the writing style used in the ransom notes to come forward with information.

Guthrie was last seen on the evening of Jan. 31 at her home near East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue in Tucson. Family members reported her missing the following day after she failed to arrive at church. Authorities believe she was taken from her home against her will, potentially in the middle of the night, a scenario Nanos has said constitutes a possible kidnapping or abduction. The FBI continues assisting the Pima County Sheriff's Department in the investigation, with Nanos emphasizing that the two agencies maintain a strong working relationship despite periodic tension over the handling of certain evidence in the case.

Anyone with information related to Guthrie's disappearance or the ransom notes is urged to contact the FBI or the Pima County Sheriff's Department directly, with authorities continuing to treat the case as an active investigation more than six months after Guthrie first went missing from her Tucson home.