TRUE CRIME NEWSSavannah Guthrie Urged to 'Tickle the Wire' and Pay Pricey Ransom Demand by Former FBI Agent Amid Mom Nancy's Disappearance: 'See What Happens'
Nancy Guthrie has been missing for over two months.
April 10 2026, Published 4:21 p.m. ET
It could behoove Savannah Guthrie to pay up, according to a former FBI agent.
In an interview published on Friday, April 10, Jennifer Coffindaffer advised the Today star, whose mom has been missing since February 1, comply with the ransom demand to see if it finally leads to a breakthrough in the baffling case.
"Tickling the wire in this case would be putting half a bitcoin and seeing what happens to it," she told Newsweek. "Do they take it? Do they convert it to pesos? It's internationally tracked. How does it come out into currency? Do they just leave it there?"
'I Think It Would Be Worth It'
TMZ has received multiple ransom notes from Nancy Guthrie's alleged kidnappers demanding Bitcoin payments.
Two alleged ransom notes were sent to TMZ on Monday, April 6, demanding one bitcoin ( which amounts to about $72,000) for information regarding Nancy Guthrie's disappearance.
In one of the emails, the sender reportedly said, "I know where her body is, and who the kidnapper is. Give me half a bitcoin and I’ll tell you." It also alleged that Nancy was "dead."
Jennifer added of the money, "Once it’s gone, it’s going to be gone. But I would want that last bread crumb. I think it would be worth it to me."
'I Saw Her Alive'
Two new emails arrived on April 6, the same day Savannah Guthrie returned to work.
Another email sent the same day read: "I saw her alive with them in the state of Sonora, Mexico."
The author added, "I just want what's fair and to live peacefully with enough to start my life again quietly with out having to join a witness protection program."
The messages coincided with Savannah's return to Today after a two-month hiatus from the popular NBC morning news show amid her mom's disappearance.
When Was Nancy Guthrie Last Seen?
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Nancy Guthrie is believed to have been abducted.
Nancy was last seen by family members outside her Tucson, Ariz., home on Saturday, January 31.
Authorities quickly determined based on evidence at the scene, including a trail of blood, that she was taken against her will and is the victim of a "targeted kidnapping."
A terrifying masked suspect was notably captured on the Arizona retiree's front porch via her doorbell camera around the time she went missing.
The Guthrie Family Believes 2 Ransom Notes Are Real
A masked suspect was captured on her front porch around the time of her disappearance.
DNA was also found at the scene, though it was "mixed," meaning it contains genetic material from more than one person, making it difficult to analyze.
Savannah revealed in an interview with Today alum Hoda Kotb recently that she "tends to believe" the two notes the family responded to via pleading video messages early on in the investigation were legitimate, but that others were fake.
"There are a lot of different notes, I think, that came," she said. "And I think most of them, it's my understanding, are not real. And I didn't see them," she said.
Savannah Guthrie Acknowledged Nancy May No Longer Be Alive
The family is offering a hefty reward for their mother's return.
Prior to her sit-down with Hoda, Savannah admitted in an emotional Instagram video on February 24 that her mom may be dead but said the family is still praying for her "recovery."
She also announcing the reward for information leading to the matriarch's return had been raised to $1 million.
