Nearly five months after Nancy Guthrie was reported missing from her Tucson, Arizona home, new reporting says a second ransom note claimed she was dead. The timeline shows deadlines, public pleas from her family, FBI concerns about “proof of life,” and shiftin
When Nancy Guthrie’s family first heard from a purported kidnapper, it wasn’t just fear that took over—it was time. Deadlines were written into the message, and each passing day made the absence feel louder.
Nancy Guthrie, 84 and living with fragile health, was last seen on the evening of Jan. 31, when a family member dropped her off at her Tucson, Arizona home after dinner. The next morning she was reported missing, and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department launched an investigation.
In the days that followed. purported ransom notes—delivering alleged details about Nancy Guthrie’s suspected abduction—were sent to people around the case. Her daughter. “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie. later told NBC in March that two of those notes. including the first one that demanded money. “are real.” But nearly five months after the disappearance. new reporting has revived the most frightening question of all: whether those notes were warning the family—or something worse.
On June 22, NBC News, ABC News and CBS News reported that the second note claimed Nancy Guthrie was dead.
Feb. 2 letter with details—and a first deadline
On Feb. 2, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said a local news affiliate, later confirmed to be KOLD News 13, received a letter “contained specific details about the home and what Nancy Guthrie was wearing that night.” Nanos said he shared the note with Savannah Guthrie.
On Feb. 3, TMZ reported it also received an alleged letter demanding money in exchange for Nancy Guthrie’s release.
That same day, reporters for The Arizona Republic—part of the USA TODAY Network—witnessed blood later confirmed to belong to Nancy Guthrie on her front porch.
Investigators also revealed that these initial notes provided two deadlines: one for 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5, and another on Monday, Feb. 9.
Feb. 4: Family questions what they’re hearing
As the reports about ransom letters spread, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings posted an Instagram video addressing the potential abductor. The caption read, “Bring her home.”
Savannah Guthrie said at the time, “We too have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media.” She added, “As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated.”
She said the family needed certainty, telling the person who might be holding Nancy Guthrie: “We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please, reach out to us.”
She also emphasized her mother’s vulnerability: “Nancy Guthrie is 84 years old. Her health, her heart is fragile. She lives in constant pain. She is without any medicine. She needs it to survive. She needs it not to suffer.”
Feb. 5: FBI says the note lacks “proof of life”
On Feb. 5, FBI special agent in charge Heith Janke said during a news conference that the note, which investigators reviewed, did not provide “proof of life.” Janke said it included “facts associated with a deadline,” along with an Apple Watch, a floodlight and “a monetary value.”
Authorities also said they had arrested a Southern California man on suspicion of allegedly transmitting a false ransom demand to Nancy Guthrie’s family.
That same day—when the first deadline arrived—Savannah Guthrie’s brother, Camron Guthrie, spoke to the person who might be “holding our mother” in an Instagram video posted on Feb. 5.
“We want to hear from you,” Camron Guthrie said. “We haven’t heard anything directly. We need you to reach out and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward. But first we have to know you have our mom.”
Feb. 6: A second note brings the death claim
On Feb. 6, a second ransom note was sent out. KOLD confirmed on social media that it received the note. The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department also confirmed they were investigating a “new message,” according to a post on X at the time.
Months later, outlets reporting on June 22 said the second note claimed Nancy Guthrie was dead after being kidnapped. CBS reported investigators familiar with the case had reason to believe both notes came from the same person or people.
Feb. 7: A plea to return Nancy Guthrie—and pay
On Feb. 7, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings posted another video on social media addressing the potential abductor and the ransom notes.
“We received your message and we understand,” Savannah Guthrie said. “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.”
Feb. 9: The final deadline expires as the family keeps searching
The second deadline in the letter expired on Feb. 9. Savannah Guthrie posted a video message sharing “a few thoughts as we enter into another week of this nightmare.” She said she and her family “believe our mom is still out there” and asked the public for help.
“Law enforcement is working tirelessly, around the clock trying to bring her home, trying to find her. She was taken, and we don’t know where, and we need your help,” Savannah Guthrie said.
She added, “if you see anything, if you hear anything, if there’s anything at all that seems strange to you. We are at an hour of desperation, and we need your help.”
The day after, the FBI released images on X showing an armed, unidentified individual appearing to tamper with Nancy Guthrie’s front door camera the morning she disappeared.
Later that month, the Guthrie family offered a $1 million reward for any information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s recovery.
March 26: Savannah Guthrie says some notes were authentic
After stepping away from the job in February, Savannah Guthrie returned to the “Today” show and sat down with Hoda Kotb for an emotional interview in March.
She told Kotb she and her siblings were still “in agony” over Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. She also addressed the ransom notes, saying, “There are a lot of different notes, I think that came. And I think most of them, it’s my understanding, are not real.”
But she said she believed two notes were genuine: “But I believe the two notes that we received that we responded to, I tend to believe those were real.”
June 22: Reports say the second note claimed death
On June 22, NBC News, ABC News and CBS News reported that the Feb. 6 ransom note stated Nancy Guthrie was dead. NBC and ABC cited unnamed people “familiar with the matter.” CBS cited “sources who reviewed the notes.”
NBC also reported the purported kidnapper allegedly did not apologize for abducting Nancy Guthrie, but expressed regret over her death.
When reached by a spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in southern Arizona, the office said inquiries regarding ransom notes should be directed to the FBI.
In a statement, the department said, “The investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie remains active and ongoing. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department continues to work closely with the FBI as investigators follow up on leads. review information. and pursue the facts surrounding this case.”.
After a June 23 “Today” episode featured an NBC News segment about the latest information on the reported ransom note, Savannah Guthrie said she didn’t have “any comment on the story” and was “not involved in our coverage,” while urging people to come forward.
She said, “Somebody knows something, and this is a news story today that is on your radar, but this is the life that my sister lives, that I live, that my brother lives, that our extended families live, that our children live every day, and we are in agony. We cannot be at peace.”
Law enforcement asks anyone with information to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department (520-351-4900) or 88-CRIME.
The sequence of dates—deadlines on Feb. 5 and Feb. 9, a first FBI assessment that investigators did not see “proof of life,” and then a later report that the Feb. 6 note claimed Nancy Guthrie was dead—has left the family stuck between two realities: the messages, and the search that never stopped.
Nancy Guthrie Savannah Guthrie ransom notes Pima County Sheriff's Department FBI Tucson Arizona Heith Janke KOLD News 13 Today show