In brief
- Police release alleged ransom notes in renewed bid to solve Nancy Guthrie's kidnapping.
- Investigators say the messages' distinctive wording could help identify the suspect.
Two ransom notes purportedly written by kidnappers who abducted the mother of US "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie have been released, six months after Nancy Guthrie vanished in Arizona, as investigators renewed efforts to identify the culprits.
Copies of the two email messages were posted online by the Pima County Sheriff's Department with a notice appealing again to members of the public to come forward with information that might help identify the masked prowler caught on video by Nancy Guthrie's doorbell camera outside her home around the time she went missing.
Both notes, initially delivered to news outlets before being turned over to authorities, have been widely reported in the media, along with some details of their contents, since early in the investigation. But the full texts had not been previously disclosed.
The first, from 2 February — a day after the 84-year-old Guthrie was reported missing — demanded US $4 million ($5.7 million) to be paid in Bitcoin within three days, and warned that if the deadline were missed "the ransom will be increased to US $6 million" ($8.56 million) due by the following Monday.
If the demands went unmet, "she will be killed," it said.
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"Your mother is aware of this and her life is in your hands," the note said, adding, "there will be no negotiation. Do not play games, law enforcement will not be able to help you."
The message also contained details meant to authenticate it, saying that Guthrie's wristwatch had been left on the floor at the foot of her bed, and a backyard floodlight was "destroyed".
The second note, received on 6 February and addressed to the "Guthrie Family," delivered more grim news.
"We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition," it begins.
"She perished shortly after she was taken. We believe it was heart-related. She is buried in nature now."
It concludes: "We want your family to know this and hope you all can find peace. We are truly sorry."
In the latest of several videos posted to social media since her mother was taken, Savannah Guthrie, longtime co-anchor of the flagship NBC morning news program, appealed to the kidnappers on Monday to "do the right thing" and "tell us where to look for her".
Nancy Guthrie, in frail health with limited mobility, was last seen alive on 31 January at her home in Tucson. She was reported missing on 1 February after a friend alerted family that she did not appear for Sunday church services as expected.
Relatives checking on her found her gone with essential belongings such as her wallet, cellphone, hearing aids and medication left behind. Blood, later confirmed by DNA tests to be hers, was found on the front porch.
Announcing what was expected to be a major break in the case on 10 February, the sheriff and FBI released surveillance footage of an armed prowler in a ski mask shown tampering with Guthrie's doorbell camera shortly before she was abducted.
The sheriff's bulletin on Friday said the man in the video, whose identity remains a mystery, "knows what happened to Nancy," and it urged anyone who may know him to come forward.
The ransom notes "reveal distinctive patterns of word choice, syntax and phraseology" that someone close to the author might recognise, the sheriff's message said.
It further suggested the suspect might have exhibited a sudden "change in mood," behaviour or daily routine around the time of the kidnapping, and may have abruptly altered his appearance, including changes in hairstyle and facial hair.
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