Nancy Guthrie Case: Second Ransom Note Claims She Died of Heart Issues After Abduction 

The full contents of the ransom notes sent following the abduction of Nancy Guthrie — the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie — have been made public for the first time and reveal a grim outlook.

Crime journalist Briana Whitney revealed the details on a special episode of the "Crime Junkie Podcast." The first note addressed Savannah directly, stating, "Hello Savannah. We have your mother, Nancy.”

It initially claimed she was safe and demanded a multi-million-dollar Bitcoin ransom, warning that her life was in her family's hands.

The note also had two details not yet made public that led investigators to believe it was legitimate: a white smartwatch on the floor near Nancy’s bed and a destroyed floodlight in the backyard.

“Hello Savannah. We have your mother Nancy. She is safe but scared. 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 7 days,” the note read.

“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 note continued. “If the payment is not received by the last deadline on Monday the 9th at 5 p.m., she will be killed. Your mother is aware of this and her life is in your hands. It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible. You will not be able to contact me from here on out. There will be no negotiation. Do not play games. Law enforcement will not be able to help you."

The second note, delivered before the initial payment deadline, dramatically shifted tone. The author claimed the kidnappers underestimated Nancy's health and that she died shortly after being abducted due to a heart-related issue.

The sender apologized for her death, stated she was "buried with nature now," and demanded $6 million to return her body.

“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. We are truly sorry,” the note read.

Savannah, Whitney said, replied to the note in a “hostage negotiator style,” which led her to believe she was working in tandem with investigators.

“We’ve received your note,” Savannah said on social media at the time, adding that the family was focused on bringing Nancy home “no matter what.

The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff's Department continue to actively investigate the disappearance.

While some initial reports suggested law enforcement believed the letters might be fakes or extortion scams, investigators have treated the specific unreleased details within the notes as potential proof of the author's real knowledge of the crime scene.

A masked individual captured on Google Nest doorbell camera footage remains the primary suspect, and a reward of over $1.2 million is active for information resolving the case.