TRUE CRIME NEWSNancy Guthrie's Investigators to Review Early Decision Made in Her Kidnapping Case That May Have Impacted Her Disappearance
Nancy Guthrie disappeared on February 1 from her home in Arizona and has not yet been found.
June 21 2026, Published 3:07 p.m. ET
Investigators in Nancy Guthrie's abduction are looking back into a decision they made in the early days of her case.
The 84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie vanished on February 1 from her home in Tucson, Ariz., and has been missing since then.
Nancy Guthrie Vanished on February 1 From Her Tucson Home
Investigators in Nancy Guthrie's abduction are looking back into a decision they made in the early days of her case.
According to a new report by Air Mail, a choice made by law enforcement officials is now being seen as a possible fatal error that may have contributed to Nancy's disappearance.
In February, a ransom note was sent to TMZ and demanded the Guthrie family pay $4 million in Bitcoin for Nancy's safe return.
The memo stated the payment must be made within four days "or else," with the FBI task force advising Savannah's family should send a lower amount and try to track the cryptocurrency when the suspected kidnappers attempted to cash it.
The Alleged Abductors Demanded $4 Million in Bitcoin
In February, a ransom note was sent to TMZ and demanded the Guthrie family pay $4 million in Bitcoin for Nancy Guthrie's safe return.
Air Mail noted investigators wanted to “tickle the wire” by dropping $152 into the suspects’ wallet, however, the amount was not enough for the plan to go through.
As a result, the money stayed untouched in the wallet and the person could not be tracked.
A source claimed the task force organized messages from possible kidnappers into “the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
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Savannah Guthrie's family is offering a $1 million reward for any information.
Following the initial ransom email sent to TMZ, another digital letter was received from the same IP address after the deadline had already passed. That subsequent message then became known as the “bad” email.
Another note was sent on February 6 and allegedly opened with an “apology,” according to an Air Mail insider. The memo went on to say that Nancy's body could be returned for the same $4 million amount.
Savannah Guthrie Pleaded With Her Mother's Abductors in a Video Shared in February
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings begged for their mother's return in an Instagram video.
A Pima County detective described the mistake related to the ransom memos as “the Big Jake Theory,” which is based on the 1971 John Wayne Western film Big Jake where a grandson is kidnapped and his grandfather is determined to find him without letting the perpetrators to score money.
The Today show cohost, 54, and her siblings, Annie and Camron, posted a video after the ransom notes were shared where they pleaded with their mother's kidnappers.
“We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay,” Savannah sobbed.
Her family is offering a $1 million reward for information surrounding Nancy's case.
