Ransom Notes in Disappearance of Savannah Guthrie Mother Nancy Guthrie Continue to Raise Questions

“WE HAVE YOUR MOTHER AND SHE WILL BE HELD FOR RANSOM”!!! BELIEVE IT OR NOT, AUTHORITIES SAY TWO RANSOM NOTES SENT IN NANCY GUTHRIE’S DISAPPEARANCE PROVIDE VALUABLE INSIGHT AS INVESTIGATORS WORK THE UNSOLVED CASE.

Two ransom notes sent to local and national news outlets in connection with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie continue to provide more questions than answers.

Nancy Guthrie is the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie.

On February 1, Nancy was reported missing after not attending a virtual church service.

On February 2, the first ransom note was sent to CBS Tucson affiliate KOLD-TV.

That initial message was addressed to Savannah, 54.

The note stated that Nancy was in custody.

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

“She will be held for ransom and once payment is received, she will be released unharmed. … If payment is not received by the last deadline … she will be killed.”

The letter also stated Nancy had a white smartwatch at the foot of her bed.

It also claimed that a floodlight had been damaged in her backyard.

Then a separate note was sent to KOLD-TV on February 6.

That second letter was addressed to the Guthrie family.

It stated that Nancy “perished shortly after she was taken.”

The message added that she was “buried in nature.”

“Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome,” the letter stated.

“We want your family to know this and hope you all can find peace. We are truly sorry.”

On July 31, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department officially released the two ransom notes.

Authorities say the notes “provide valuable insight into the mindset, motives and the evolution of their tone over time.”

NewsNation senior national correspondent Brian Entin shared analysis in a cover story focused on the disappearance.

“I think the sheriff’s office officially releasing the notes was probably trying to capitalize on that six-month moment,” Entin shared with Us.

“It would be a good time to release the notes and that maybe it could drum up some new interest and maybe an important tip to come in.”

Ana Belmonte, an assistant professor of forensic psychology at The Chicago School who is unaffiliated with the case, found the notes believable.

“The inclusion of the information about Nancy’s smartwatch and the damaged light indicates the source of the note is likely credible,” Belmonte told Us.

But retired FBI agent Scott Curtis, who is not working on the case, offered a different view.

Curtis said he does not “put a lot of significance” into the notes because they are not handwritten and could therefore be AI-generated.

Forensic linguist Dr. Carole Chaski, who is also unaffiliated with the investigation, also had doubts about the letters.

Chaski pointed to the shifting tenses used within the writing.

“[One] part of this note that I thought was interesting is ‘We have your mother’ — present tense. ‘She is safe but scared’ — Present tense,” Chaski said.

“‘She will be held for ransom’ — future. She is being held for ransom. If it’s for real, you know. I’m not sure this note is for real. Because of that tense shift.”

“The reality is there’s no reason for it to shift to the future. The future shift comes normally later, which it does in this note when it says she will be released. So that makes sense because that’s talking about what’s going to happen in the real future. But what’s happening in the real present is that she’s being held for ransom, not that she will be held for ransom.”

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has assured the public that investigators are still working the case.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Tips can remain anonymous.