The notes’ author claims Nancy Guthrie is in the Mexican state of Sonora, which spans the entire Arizona-Mexico border that lies roughly 70 miles south of Tucson.
More than two months have passed since Nancy Guthrie was last seen entering the garage of her home in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood north of Tucson. She was reported missing on Feb. 1 after she didn’t show up to a friend’s home to watch a virtual church service.
The outlet said the notes came from the same person who sent previous notes that offered to identify Nancy Guthrie’s alleged abductors in exchange for one Bitcoin — approximately $68,500 as of April 7 — far less than the roughly $1.2 million reward collectively offered by the Guthrie family, FBI and 88-Crime.
TMZ said the notes’ author claimed in previous notes that they’ve been out of the United States for more than five years and had nothing to do with Nancy Guthrie’s suspected abduction.
Savannah Guthrie didn’t appear to immediately address the new notes’ existence on social media but has repeatedly urged anyone with knowledge of her mother’s disappearance to come forward.
During an interview with former “Today” co-host Hoda Kotb that aired prior to her return, Savannah Guthrie said she and her siblings treated two ransom notes that demanded millions in Bitcoin in exchange for their mother’s safe return very seriously.
“I tend to believe those are real,” she told Kotb.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department referred any inquiries regarding the new ransom notes to the FBI.
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“We are aware of reports circulating about a possible ransom note(s) related to the investigation into Nancy Guthrie,” department spokesperson Angelica Carrillo told The Arizona Republic. “All tips and leads are being taken seriously and are forwarded directly to our detectives, who are coordinating with the FBI.”
FBI spokesperson Kevin Smith declined to comment on the new notes’ existence or authenticity.
“We aren’t discussing the case while it’s under active investigation,” Smith said in an email.
The agency hasn’t shared whether it authenticated any of the previous ransom notes or whether they contained proof of life at the times they were sent.
However, former FBI agents have previously told The Republic that sharing ransom notes through the media as opposed to the the family directly was “highly unusual.”
