A second ransom note claims Nancy Guthrie, 84, died shortly after her abduction from her Tucson home in February. Her daughter, 'Today' show host Savannah Guthrie, made an emotional plea for information as the FBI offers a $100,000 reward.
The case highlights the ongoing agony of families dealing with unsolved abductions and the public role of media in disseminating critical information during investigations.
A second ransom note, sent days after the early February abduction of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie from her Tucson, Arizona home, claims she died shortly after her kidnapping. The note, reportedly sent to news organizations, also includes an apology from the abductors, who allegedly stated they did not intend for her to die. This follows an initial ransom note that demanded millions of dollars in bitcoin for her release. Investigators believe the same person or group sent both notes. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to Guthrie's location and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance. Savannah Guthrie, her daughter and 'Today' show host, made an emotional appeal for information, stating, 'We are in agony, and we cannot be at peace... We love our mum. We’ll never stop looking for her.' Authorities have described the suspect as a male, around 5’9” to 5’10”, with an average build, and have released footage of a masked individual tampering with the front door camera at Guthrie's home. Search teams have scoured the nearby desert terrain, and a volunteer group recently searched near the Arizona-Mexico border for her body.