New details have been revealed about the ransom notes sent in Nancy Guthrie‘s case!
Wednesday’s episode of the Crime Junkie‘s podcast does a full deep dive into the apparent kidnapping with new breaking news reporter for the show, Briana Whitney, who was a reporter for Arizona’s Family TV and covered the missing person case for months before joining the team. She had a unique look into the case — and even obtained the ransom notes in full!
Podcaster Ashley Flowers read the devastating first note aloud — which included a message directly to Savannah that must have been SO incredibly crushing for the Today Show star and her family to read. The letter said:
“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 seven days.”
Wow. The fact that this was addressed to Savannah says SO MUCH. It’s been a question from the very start — was Nancy targeted because of her famous daughter? And, well, yeah, it seems like the person knew Savannah would be the one with the money. Damn. Gut-wrenching.
Related: Pima County Sheriff WARNS About New Scam Connected To Nancy Investigation
The sender demanded millions, specifically in US currency, in Bitcoin and gave the family two deadlines. Sources previously told People they were to send $4 million in Bitcoin by Thursday, February 5. If not, the demand increased to $6 million by Monday, February 9. If the money was sent, the note detailed:
“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.”
Ooooh. Another key clue about what happened: she’ll be brought “back” to Tucson, suggesting she was taken out of her hometown!
But if not, there was no mincing words on what would happen to the poor 84-year-old mother next:
“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.”
Holy s**t.
At the end of the note, the abductor also gave details about Nancy’s home, seemingly to prove they were the real deal. Whitney explained:
“Which was she had a white smart watch that was on the floor near her bed, like at the foot of her bed, and then there was this floodlight that was destroyed in the back yard.”
According to Whitney, the FBI is still investigating the note as possibly legitimate. Umm… possibly??
As we know, no money was sent, except a small amount by the authorities to test if they could identify who the Bitcoin account belonged to, with no luck.
Previous reports have said the abductor followed up just one day later with a second note after Nancy allegedly passed away. According to a previous NBC News report, it did not include an apology or a request for payment for the release of her body. But Brianna claims there was an apology. She read the second note, which she said was sent via a different IP address but sent to media outlets in the same way and “tone” as the original, which is why it’s believed they are connected. It stated:
“We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical conditions. 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’ve done could’ve changed the outcome. We are truly sorry.”
So, so sad.
Hear more from the journalist, including new theories based on key details in these notes (below):
The Guthrie family has continued to beg for help determining what happened and who is responsible for this nightmarish tragedy. We really, really hope they get those answers and justice for their mother!
[Image via Savannah Guthrie/Instagram]
