One of the ransom notes sent after Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her home in Tucson, Arizona on February 1 claimed that she had already passed away, according to a new report. Air Mail claimed that a blackmail letter sent to Nancy's family, including Today star Savannah Guthrie, on February 6, contained an apology for her alleged death.
Ransom notes were sent to several other media outlets in the days after her alleged kidnapping, with TMZ receiving one that correctly described what Nancy was wearing the night she disappeared, and information about a damaged floodlight on the property.
The initial ransom note claimed the 84-year-old was "safe but scared" and that they would return her if the family handed over $4 million by 5 p.m. on February 5, with the amount increasing to $6 million if not paid by February 9.
© WireImageAccording to Air Mail, a second ransom note was sent on February 6 from the same IP address as the previous one. This time, the writer of the note apologized for Nancy's death and claimed that she had accidentally been killed, before asking for $4 million to send her body back.
NBC News reported that the ransom note did, in fact, claim that she had passed away, however there was no apology from the writer nor a payment request.
The ransom notes, which were sent to several media outlets, were determined as potentially credible by authorities, and Savannah later shared in a sit-down interview with Hoda Kotb that the family believed the first two ransom notes were "real".
© InstagramSavannah took to Instagram after the ransom notes were received in February, alongside her sister, Annie Guthrie, and her brother, Camron Guthrie. "We beg you now to return our mother to us, so that we can celebrate with her," she said in a video addressed directly to the supposed kidnappers. "This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay."
Learn more about Nancy's disappearance below...
According to Air Mail, authorities attempted to draw the kidnapper out after the first ransom note was sent by sending $152 in cryptocurrency into the online wallet the note spoke of and waiting for the money to be accessed. The funds were reportedly left untouched, and investigators could not follow the lead any further.
Nancy disappeared in the early hours of February 1, after spending the previous night with her daughter, Annie, and Annie's husband, Tommaso Cioni. She was dropped home around 9:45 p.m., and the house saw no activity until around 1:47 a.m., when her doorbell camera was disconnected.
© Getty ImagesNancy's pacemaker app disconnected from her phone at 2:28 a.m., indicating that she had been taken far enough away for the connection to sever. Her family arrived at her home around midday on February 1 after she failed to show up for her usual church service, and police were called shortly thereafter.
© FBIChilling doorbell camera footage was released by the FBI on February 10, which saw a masked man approaching Nancy's front door in a balaclava and dark clothing with a gun holstered in his pants.
The man attempted to disable Nancy's doorbell camera with nearby foliage. No arrests have been made in relation to her disappearance, almost five months on from her kidnapping.
