💔 We never meant for her to di-e… — Chil-ling ransom note in Nancy Guthrie case revealed, one passage continues to ha-unt investigators
More than four months after Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping, her whereabouts remain unknown and no suspects have been identified.
Additional details have emerged about a second message connected to the alleged kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie.
According to new reports from CNN and NBC News, citing sources familiar with the investigation, the second note sent to several news outlets claimed that the 84-year-old died shortly after being abducted on Feb. 1. The message reportedly expressed regret over her death, according to the outlets.
CNN, citing law enforcement sources, reports the second note said that Nancy’s death was unintentional.
The outlets also reported that the second note did not include an apology or any demand for money in exchange for the return of her body.
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Savannah Guthrie and mother Nancy Guthrie.Savannah Guthrie/Instagram
One day after authorities acknowledged the new message back in February, Savannah and her siblings, Annie and Camron, shared an emotional appeal on Instagram.
“We received your message and we understand,” Savannah said in a video shared Feb. 7.
“We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her,” she continued. “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”
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Nancy Guthrie; Savannah Guthrie.Savannah Guthrie/Instagram
The second message came after an earlier note sent to Arizona television stations KOLD and KGUN that reportedly demanded millions of dollars in Bitcoin for Nancy’s safe return, with payment deadlines set for Feb. 5 and Feb. 9, multiple sources familiar with the situation previously told PEOPLE.
Despite these details being reported, the full contents of the two messages have not been publicly released “out of respect for the family and the investigation,” KOLD has said.
As news of her mother’s possible death spread, Savannah shared an emotional plea from the Today show anchor desk on Tuesday, June 23.
Wiping away tears, she addressed viewers directly, saying, “I love you guys, and I love this place. This is unusual and unprecedented — to say the least — to be sitting here.”
She added, “This is a new story that today 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 and we cannot be at peace.”
Authorities believe Nancy was taken against her will from her Tucson, Ariz., home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI’s Phoenix Office have cited surveillance footage showing a masked man tampering with her doorbell camera around that time.
More than four months later, investigators have not identified any suspects or persons of interest, and Nancy’s whereabouts remain unknown.
The FBI declined to comment on the contents of the second note when reached by PEOPLE on Tuesday, while the PCSO said the investigation into Nancy’s kidnapping “remains active and ongoing.”
A $100,000 reward has been offered by the FBI for any information leading to Nancy’s recovery or an arrest in the case. Savannah and her family have since offered a separate $1 million reward.
Anyone with information about Nancy’s disappearance is asked to please contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.
SOURCE: https://people.com/nancy-guthrie-death-unintentional-ransom-note-claimed-reports-12004895
