A ransom note tied to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, states that the 84-year-old is dead, according to law enforcement sources cited by CNN and other news organizations. The note claims those responsible for her kidnapping did not intend to kill her, but that she died shortly after vanishing.
Guthrie disappeared in early February from her home in the foothills outside Tucson, Arizona. Multiple ransom notes surfaced in the days following her abduction. CNN reported Monday that it had reviewed one such note containing the claim about her death. A Tucson television station also received at least two notes.
Media outlets agreed to withhold the contents of the notes from public disclosure to preserve the ability to authenticate any future communications from the kidnapper or kidnappers, CNN reported. The Pima County Sheriff's Department and FBI declined to comment on the note's contents or confirm the details.
Jessica Bobula, news director at Tucson station KOLD, said her newsroom received several notes after Guthrie disappeared. The station notified authorities and has shared only information the FBI has publicly released about the communications.
On Tuesday, Savannah Guthrie appeared on the Today show and made an emotional plea for information about her mother's whereabouts. "We are begging for your help," she said, referencing a combined $1.1 million reward offered by her family and authorities for information leading to Nancy's recovery and the conviction of those responsible.
With tears streaming down her face, Guthrie described her family living in "agony" and unable to find peace without knowing her mother's fate. "We love our mom," she added. "And we will never stop looking for her."
Investigators believe Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped after discovering blood near her front doorstep. The FBI released surveillance video showing a masked figure on her porch the night she disappeared. Volunteers and search teams combed the surrounding desert terrain in the weeks following her vanishing, and a volunteer group recently conducted a search near the Arizona-Mexico border, though no remains were reported found.
Author James Rodriguez: "The ransom note's claim that her death was unintentional reads as a classic kidnapper's gambit to soften accountability, but what matters now is whether this note leads investigators anywhere or simply deepens the family's nightmare."
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