Six Months After Nancy Guthrie Vanished, Sheriff Releases Full Ransom Notes Including One Claiming She Died

Six months after Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her home outside Tucson, investigators still don't have a suspect. So they tried something different.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department released the full text of two ransom notes on Friday, July 31, notes that had already been sent to Tucson TV station KOLD-13 back in February but were never made public in their entirety. Sheriff Chris Nanos explained the decision in an interview Saturday, the actual six-month mark since Guthrie went missing on Feb. 1.

"There are a number of pieces of information in these notes that just might jar someone to say, 'You know, I've heard that,' or the wording, the style of the writing," Nanos said, according to the New York Post. "We hope that by releasing the actual note, we'll get some response from the community."

Nanos also said the notes were already circulating in media coverage, so authorities wanted to make sure what was being reported was accurate. He was blunt about where the investigation stands: "We are not going away."

What the notes say

The first note, sent Feb. 2, was addressed directly to Guthrie's daughter, "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie. It told her that her mother was "safe but scared" and demanded $4 million in bitcoin by 5 p.m. on Feb. 5, rising to $6 million if unpaid by Feb. 9. "If payment is not received by the last deadline on Monday the 9th at 5PM, she will be killed," the note read, according to CBS News. "Your mother is aware of this and her life is in your hands."

The note also included details meant to prove the writer had been inside Guthrie's home: a white Apple Watch on the floor at the foot of her bed, and a white floodlight in the backyard that had been destroyed. CBS News reported one additional line was redacted by investigators before release, without specifying what it said.

The second note, sent Feb. 6, told a different story. It claimed Guthrie had died shortly after being taken, allegedly from a heart-related issue tied to her pacemaker and cardiac condition. "We never intended to hurt her, that was not our intention," it read. "She perished shortly after she was taken. We believe it was heart related. She is buried in nature now." It ended with an apology: "We are truly sorry."

Authorities have not confirmed she's dead

Despite that second note, investigators have been careful not to treat its claim as fact. Salon reported that authorities "stressed they have not confirmed that claim and continue to investigate the case as an active kidnapping," with DNA evidence, surveillance footage and other forensic material still under review. WSOC-TV similarly reported that "authorities have not said whether Nancy Guthrie is still alive."

That distinction matters. A note claiming a victim is dead is not proof of death, and treating it as confirmed fact before forensic evidence backs it up would be jumping ahead of the investigation itself. No body has been recovered. No suspects have been named or arrested.

More than $1 million in reward money remains on the table for information leading to a resolution, according to Salon. The sheriff's department is banking on the theory that whoever wrote these notes has a writing style, word choice, or phrasing pattern that someone else, a family member, coworker, ex-partner, might recognize.

WSOC-TV drew the comparison to the Ted Kaczynski case, where the Unabomber's own 35,000-word manifesto, published by The Washington Post and New York Times in 1995 at the FBI's encouragement, led his brother and sister-in-law to recognize the writing and tip off the bureau. Whether the same happens here is unknown, but it's the same logic driving Friday's release.

The family's plea

Savannah Guthrie has continued to make public appeals throughout the investigation. Marking the six-month anniversary, she called it "an agony beyond words" and asked the public to look closely at the newly released notes, according to Salon. Earlier in the week she said her family has been living an "unending nightmare" and pleaded directly with whoever is responsible: "tell us where to look for her," according to WSOC-TV.

The FBI, which is involved in the investigation, did not respond to questions from WSOC-TV about whether both notes have been formally deemed legitimate.

Unresolved and central to the case: how many people were involved in Guthrie's abduction, whether she was taken by someone who knew her or her routines well enough to describe her bedroom and backyard in detail, and whether the second note's account of her death is true or a lie meant to end the search. Pima County investigators say the case remains open and active, and are asking anyone who recognizes the handwriting, phrasing, or details in either note to come forward.