'We never intended to hurt her.' Ransom notes offer new details in Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case 29%
By Richard Winton87% Hannah Fry66%
7/31/2026, 1:07:00 PM
Topics: Crime And Courts, The Latest
BS Summary: This article contains 12 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Emotion, Quote-first Misdirection, and Availability Heuristic, with Unattributed Quote as the most egregious example at 29.3% saturation with 228 hits. Analysis detected 649 faulty-reasoning hits from 777 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 31.9% and a BS Rank of 29% (21,991 of 30,584 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 71.90% of the article peer group.
Investigators on Friday released two notes apparently sent by the individuals who kidnapped Nancy Guthrie from her Tuscon home in February.
Federal and local law enforcement have worked for nearly six months to find Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie, without success.
For months, The Times and other outlets have released portions of the ransom notes based on information from law enforcement sources, but Friday marked the first time the letters were fully made public.
Their release comes as authorities continue to try to drum up leads in the case, which garnered national attention.
“In some cases, there are times when people who may have knowledge initially do not come forward.
This may be due to their close relationships with those who might be involved as well as a concern for their own safety, reputation, or standing in the community and amongst their friends,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department wrote in a news release.
“We recognize relationships and loyalties change over time as do people and their perspectives.
It is not too late to come forward.
Regardless of how insignificant you think your information may be, or whether you think we are already aware of it, please contact us.”
The first note, sent to television news station KOLD, shortly after Guthrie’s disappearance on Feb. 1 was addressed to Savannah and demanded $4 million in bitcoin by 5 p.m. on Feb.
5.
If the deadline was not met, the writer warns, the amount would be increased to $6 million to be delivered by Feb.
9.
The letter states the kidnappers will hold her for a maximum of seven days.
“If payment is not recieved by the last deadline on Monday the 9th at 5PM, she will be killed.
Your mother is aware of this and her life is in your hands.
It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible.
You will not be able to contact me from here on out, there will be no negotiation.
Do not play games, law enforcement will not be able to help you,” the letter states.
The FBI’s Phoenix office said some ransom notes relating to the February disappearance of Nancy Guthrie were potentially “legitimate,” while others have been discounted as “extortion attempts."
“This case continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case,” the FBI Phoenix office said in a post on X, noting that law enforcement had received “several ransom notes over the course of this investigation.”
The note released Friday gained credibility with investigators because of the specifics it contained including a reference to a white smart watch left on the floor at the foot of Guthrie’s bed and a broken white flood light in the backyard.
The second note purportedly from the kidnappers also arrived as a news tip to KOLD saying that Guthrie had died likely from her heart issues.
It was addressed to the entire Guthrie family.
“We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition,” the letter states.
“We never intended to hurt her, that was not our intention.
She perished shortly after she was taken.”
The writer states that Guthrie is now “buried in nature.”
“Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome,” the letter states.
“We want your family to know this and hope you can find peace.
We are truly sorry.”
Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson suburb home Feb.
1.
She was last seen the previous night after she was dropped off at her home by family around 9:45 p.m.
With Guthrie missing, the FBI extracted and released doorbell camera images of an armed and masked man outside her home on the morning of her disappearance.
The FBI has labeled that unknown man as a suspect in the abduction.
Over the course of months, investigators made a couple of detentions and conducted a few searches as the Guthrie family made a series of emotional pleas to the kidnappers.
On Monday, Savannah Guthrie posted another video on social media asking for help finding her mother saying “we will never stop looking for her” and that their family has been “in agony.”
“Make the right choice.
Help us find her.
Tell us where to look for her,” she said.
“The world can be a cruel and unforgiving place,” she continued.
“I truly believe it is never too late to do right thing.
Help us bring this situation to an end.
For all of us.
No matter where we’ve been and what we’ve done, I believe there is always a way home.”
Speakers
4speakers36%attributed speech494writer words
Selected voice
100%flagged-word coverageSavannah Guthrie
101 attributed words36% of attributed speech54% writer coverage
Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.
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Analysis
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