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It has been just about six months since Nancy Guthrie’s violent kidnapping from her home.
As new pieces of information come out, Savannah Guthrie recently stepped away from The Today Show.
One new detail reveals, in almost its entirety, the first ransom note — unlike the forgery, this one may be from the actual kidnapper.
It paints a chilling picture, promising to kill Nancy if the payment does not arrive on time.
‘We will be holding her for a maximum of seven days’
Nancy Guthrie has been missing since January 31, 2026.
One week ahead of the six-month anniversary of her tragic kidnapping, the world is learning more details about the first ransom note that Savannah received.
On the Crime Junkie podcast, Briana Whitney joined Ashley Flowers to discuss the details of the kidnapper’s chilling demands.
“Hello, Savannah. We have your mother, Nancy,” Whitney read aloud. “She is safe but scared.”
The note warned: “She will be held for ransom, and once payment is received, she will be released unharmed. We will be holding her for a maximum of seven days.”
According to Whitney, the note proceeded to demand millions of dollars.
People previously heard from a source that the note demanded $4 million in bitcoin by Thursday, February 5.
If that demand were not met, the note detailed that the kidnapper would want $6 million by February 9.
“Once payment is received to the Bitcoin address below, she will be released within 12 hours of deposit to a safe drop off location back in Tucson,” the kidnapper alleged.
The ransom note warned: “If the payment is not received by the last deadline on Monday the 9th at 5 p.m., she will be killed.”
‘Her life is in your hands’
“Your mother is aware of this,” the ransom note informed Savannah, “and her life is in your hands.”
The note insisted: “It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible.”
Whitney continued to read the chilling message, which warned: “You will not be able to contact me from here on out. There will be no negotiation.”
Sternly, it continued: “Do not play games. Law enforcement will not be able to help you.”
At the end of the note, it included little details about the interior and exterior of the home — things that would, presumably, wash away any doubts that Savannah might have had about whether this was the kidnapper or a sick copycat looking for a payday.
After reading the note, Whitney noted that the FBI is — six months later, just about — still unsure if the note is authentic.
Presumably, agents have been too busy helping Kash Patel plan luxury vacations and jet out to visit his girlfriend or party with hockey teams to make this determination.
However, unless the kidnapper’s claims within the note were false, presumably Savannah understood the message to be genuine.
That said … it is widely believed that Nancy, an octogenarian without her medication who had just been violently kidnapped, did not survive to even the first ransom deadline.
Our hearts continue to go out to Savannah and to the entire family. This heartbreaking situation continues, offering them no real closure.
