The Nancy Guthrie ransom note was ‘carefully crafted,’ listed two deadlines, contained key details

A ransom note demanding money in exchange for the return of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother was “carefully crafted” and included details that had not previously been made public, according to people who read it.

The note took center stage as authorities still frantically try to find Nancy Guthrie, 84, five days after her apparent kidnapping from her Tucson-area home. His family made two heartfelt videos pleading with his alleged captors to communicate with them.

Two deadlines

Although the entire memo has not been released, some details have been. The letter contained a first deadline set for Thursday at 5 p.m. and a second request set for Monday, said Heith Janke, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix division. He declined to say what, if anything, would be at risk if the deadlines were not met.

Nancy’s son, Camron Guthrie, posted a video pleading with the kidnapper Thursday afternoon, around the time of the ransom letter’s first deadline.

“Anyone who holds our mother, we want to hear from you,” he said. “We haven’t heard anything directly. We need you to contact us and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward.”

Harry Levin, founder of the celebrity news site TMZ, told CNN he reviewed one of three identical letters sent to media outlets and said, “Monday’s deadline is much more consequential.”

TMZ reported that the alleged note demanded millions in cryptocurrency for Guthrie’s release. Levin said Thursday evening that TMZ confirmed the Bitcoin address was real.

The family and authorities are concerned because Nancy Guthrie suffers from numerous physical problems and requires daily medications that she does not appear to need. Officials said they had not yet received any evidence that Guthrie was alive, but they were operating on that assumption despite real concerns that he was dead.

“I’m afraid of this, I think we all are,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said. “We’re on day 4 or 5 and we still don’t know if she’s getting her medication and that in itself could be fatal.”

“Carefully written letter”

Levin and a Tucson-area reporter, who both said they saw the ransom note, provided few additional details.

“This is a letter that explains precisely what they want to do, what the consequences are if they don’t get what they want,” Levin said in another interview with CNN.

“They started the letter by saying that Nancy is fine but she’s scared,” Levin said. “The letter says you will have no way of contacting me. … They went to great lengths to send us this email to ensure it remains anonymous.”

“This is a carefully crafted letter, and it’s not something that someone put together in five minutes,” he added.

Unique details

Police sources, who spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity, said the ransom demand was considered legitimate because it contained at least two details about Guthrie’s home that had not been made public.

Janke, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix division, said there were details about an Apple Watch and a projector, but declined to go into detail.

According to Levin, the note mentioned a specific detail of the Apple Watch, which he considered essential.

“This placement of the Apple Watch, if true, is something they would immediately take seriously,” Levin told CNN.

KOLD-TV anchor Mary Coleman added: “A lot of this is information that only someone who is holding her for ransom would know – very sensitive information and things that people who were there when she was captured would know.” »

Race against time

Authorities describe the search as a race against time.

“Right now, we think Nancy is still out there. We want her to come home,” Nanos said during Thursday’s news conference. A massive team of local and federal partners would continue to work “around the clock” on the case, he said.

“There is no evidence of life,” Janke said. “…Time is running out.”

Although Guthrie was of sound mind, her family said she suffered from physical problems. She uses a pacemaker and is often in pain, the family said.

Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have shared an emotional video pleading with their mother’s would-be kidnappers.

“She lives in constant pain. She has no medication,” Savannah Guthrie said. “She needs it to survive and she needs it to not suffer. »

She begged the alleged kidnapper to contact them.

“We live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know, without a doubt, that she is alive and that you have her,” she said in the video shared on Instagram. “We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please contact us.”