Arizona’s Pima County Sheriff’s Department says they’re aware of “possible ransom note(s)” regarding the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance after TMZ reported receiving a demand for millions in Bitcoin.
“We are taking all tips and leads very seriously,” authorities shared on X on Tuesday. “Anything that comes in, goes directly to our detectives who are coordinating with the FBI. We encourage anyone who may have any information or tips to share them.”
The update comes after TMZ reported receiving an email that was written to look like a ransom letter. “The note, which was sent to us Tuesday morning, demands a specific substantial amount of Bitcoin … the amount is in the millions, and the note demands the cryptocurrency be sent to a specific Bitcoin address,” Harvey Levin’s outlet reported, noting they verified the Bitcoin address is indeed real.
TMZ further stated the note described Nancy’s clothing at the time of her disappearance, as well as an “item the sender says was damaged at her Tucson-area home.”
The possible development in the case came hours after Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos reiterated that Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother was “taken from the home against her will” sometime between when she was last seen on Saturday night and being reported missing at noon local time on Sunday after not showing up for church.
Authorities are treating her home as a crime scene, suggesting that the incident is a possible kidnapping or overnight abduction as opposed to a missing persons case in a Tuesday press conference. They have taken samples and hope to get a DNA profile, having welcomed the FBI into the investigation.
“It is a race against time and I hope that window hasn’t closed,” Nanos told NBC News’ Liz Kreutz in an interview shared early Tuesday morning on “The Today Show.” He further noted that Nancy is not suffering from dementia, but is on medication for a condition that could prove fatal if not taken every 24 hours.
Late Monday night, Savannah issued the following statement: “We believe in prayer. We believe in voices raised in unison, in love, in hope. We believe in goodness. We believe in humanity. Above all, we believe in Him. Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant. Raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment. We need you.”