Two ransom notes purportedly sent by those who kidnapped Nancy Guthrie in Arizona this year were released Friday by local authorities hoping to generate new leads in the case.
The second note, sent Feb. 6 to a Tucson news outlet, states that Guthrie, 84, died shortly after she was taken.
“We believe it was heart related,” the note says. “She is buried in nature now. 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.”
The 84-year-old mother of “TODAY” co-host Savannah Guthrie went missing from her home near Tucson early Feb. 1. The FBI has said her disappearance is being investigated as a kidnapping for ransom.
The first note, sent Feb. 2 to the same outlet, a CBS affiliate, stated that a white smartwatch was on the floor at the foot of her bed and that the floodlight in the backyard had been destroyed.
That note demanded a payment of $4 million in bitcoin by Feb. 5.
It provided a deadline of 5 p.m. Feb. 9 and raised the ransom amount to $6 million if the payment was not immediately made. The note warned that Nancy Guthrie was aware that “her life is in your hands.”
“Do not play games, law enforcement will not be able to help you,” the note states.
In a news release accompanying the notes, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Friday it was releasing the letters in an effort to generate new leads.
The notes reveal a “unique linguistic style” with distinctive word choice, syntax and phraseology, the department said, and provide “valuable insight into the person’s mindset, motives, and the evolution of their tone over time.”
“The distinctive linguistic characteristics may be recognizable to someone who knows or has interacted with the notes’ writer,” the release says. “A friend, family member, coworker, classmate or acquaintance may recognize these patterns of expression and possess information that could help identify the individual responsible.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News on Friday that the notes were released in an effort to reach whoever knows the person or people responsible.
“All the investigators agree: There is somebody out there that knows something. They know who did this,” Nanos said.
“We want to hear from those who know who did this,” he said. “It could be a family member, it could be a brother, a sister, a friend, a neighbor. We just want to hear from you. And I think the notes speak for themselves.”
On Saturday, the sheriff’s department released a video of Nanos addressing the six-month mark since Guthrie’s abduction.
“A lot of people have called us with information, but we also know a lot of people are hesitant to do so,” he said. “And so I hope that by constantly reminding the public, we’re here, we’re not going anywhere. If you have information, someone knows who this person is.”
“Someone knows something. We want that person to call us. We need that phone call,” he added.
The release underscores the state of the investigation. Authorities do not have any suspects or leads of significance, so they’re requesting the public’s help.
Such a release is not without precedent. For years, the FBI struggled with releasing the writings of an unnamed suspect who became known as “Unabomber.”
That suspect had asked for his writings to be published. Following the publication of his screed, family members of the suspect now known to be Ted Kaczynski alerted the FBI through an attorney after examining other writings from Kaczynski sent to the family over the years.
That lead, which was one of 50,000 the FBI received over the course of that case, ultimately led to Kaczynski’s shed in the mountains of Montana. He was also the 2,416th person to be examined by the FBI in the case.
In the Guthrie case, authorities redacted a line that references how to get payment to the person or people who sent the note, officials said.
There is a law enforcement reason for that redaction, according to the officials.
Former FBI supervisory special agent Jason Pack said that while there isn’t enough text in the notes to guess the author’s age or schooling, they appear to have been written by a native English speaker who uses an idiom and small connecting words appropriately at a length that’s hard to fake.
Savannah Guthrie shares new plea to bring her mother home
“And he writes like someone who spends his day sending business email,” Pack said. “‘Money in the amount of. Payment that will need to be paid by. Wanting to have this completed.’ That is office language, and it sits strangely against the threats, which sound like they came off a television screen.”
“If you knew this man, that is the part you would recognize,” Pack said. “Not his vocabulary. His habits.”
The notes’ release came days after Savannah Guthrie made an emotional plea online to the person who may have taken her mother, urging them to “do the right thing” and “tell us where to look for her.”
“I’m coming on today with a very specific message,” Savannah Guthrie said in a video posted on social media.
“It has been months since our mom was taken from us. Our family is in agony. We are in a nightmare that will not end. Nothing about our situation has changed. We have done our part, and we will never stop looking for her. We will always ache for her and feel that hole in our hearts.”
“The world can be a cruel and unforgiving place, and I know that you have tried to do things the right way,” she said. “So I am asking you — begging you — to do the right thing now. Make the right choice. Help us find her. Tell us where to look for her. I truly believe it is never too late to do the right thing. Help us bring this situation to an end.”
On Saturday, the “TODAY” co-host shared an image of her mother on her Instagram account, along with a lengthy plea for information “to find out what happened to her, so that we can give her the dignity of a proper goodbye — a celebration of her remarkable life that she so deserves.”
“We are begging for help. We are desperate. We need someone to come forward,” she wrote. “Someone knows something. Someone suspects something. Someone recognizes the writing in the ransom demand notes. Someone has noticed something different, strange, troubling or just unusual — perhaps with someone they deeply love.”
“Perhaps they are afraid to come forward. Perhaps they are conflicted. Perhaps they are angry or upset for being in this situation,” she added. “There is a way out — to tell what you know. You can do so anonymously. The reward is available. There is a way to end this situation and do the right thing.”
The “TODAY” co-host also appeared to criticize the true-crime influencers and online sleuths who have been covering every update to her mother’s case.
“If you are following this story for entertainment or for profit, you are not on her side — you are part of the harm perpetrated against her,” she wrote.
She concluded the message, telling her 2.1 million followers that she and her family “will never stop looking for answers — and we will never stop looking for the light.”
“We will always be hoping and praying and believing in the best of our world — in spite of circumstance,” she wrote. “This is what our faith makes possible.”
“Please. Bring her home,” she said.
Anyone with information is urged to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). The Guthrie family is also offering a $1 million reward for the return of her mother.
