A letter that came soon after her abduction said that Nancy Guthrie had died in the custody of the kidnappers. Photo courtesy Pima County Sheriff’s Department
June 23 (UPI) — Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie, died soon after her kidnapping in February, according to a ransom note that has just come to light.
A note sent to some media outlets in February said she had died, according to CNN, CBS News and ABC News. Police believe the letter is real. It followed a Feb. 2 ransom note demanding millions. That note gave specific descriptions of Guthrie’s home leading police to believe it was authentic.
The second note on Feb. 6 said that Nancy Guthrie, 84, had died, and the kidnappers didn’t mean to kill her, police said. It was written in a similar style and didn’t make any demands, CBS reported. On Feb. 7, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings posted a video to Instagram that said, “We received your message, and we understand.”
Investigators believe the notes came from the same people and that both were likely sent from the same computer IP address, CBS reported.
In March, Savannah Guthrie told NBC News that the family believed the notes were authentic.
“There are a lot of different notes, I think, that came, and I think most of them – it’s my understanding – are not real, and I didn’t see them,” she said. “But I believe the two notes that we received, that we responded to, I tend to believe those are real.”
Some media outlets, including CNN, agreed to keep that information secret to help police and the FBI authenticate any letters that would come in.
But the letter discussing Nancy Guthrie’s death came to light on Monday when TMZ founder Harvey Levin posted a video on X discussing some emails that came to TMZ.
Levin said TMZ did not receive any emails apologizing for the kidnapping and death of Nancy Guthrie, and claims that it did were false.
He said that TMZ got several emails from someone who claimed to know the kidnappers and her location, asking for $100,000 for information.
“There’s something about those emails that made me believe that this guy may well have known who the kidnappers were,” he said.
The FBI didn’t pay the person and refused TMZ’s offer to fund payment, Levin said.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Monday that the case is “active and ongoing.”
Nancy Guthrie’s remains have not been found.
President Donald Trump presents a Medal of Honor to Tom Ripley on behalf of his father, John W. Ripley, during a Medal of Honor award ceremony in the East Room of the White House on Thursday. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo
