The potential kidnappers of Nancy Guthrie sent a ransom note to local news station KGUN9, threatening the 84-year-old’s life if the ᴅᴇᴀᴅline for their demand of $6 million from the Guthrie family before Monday at 5 p.m. local time was not met.

Private investigator says Nancy Guthrie’s kidnappers are ‘smart’ and ‘stupid’

A private investigator said the people who abducted Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC News anchor Savannah Guthrie, were both “smart” and “stupid” in carrying out the kidnapping.

Logan Clarke, a California-based investigator who has worked on hundreds of kidnapping cases over the past four decades, said the two distinct parts to every kidnapping are taking the hostage and getting paid, according to Fox 10.

“They’re smart and they’re stupid,” Clarke told the outlet. “They knew the Guthrie family. They know who they are. They know where they live. They knew enough about them to pull this thing off.”

But Clarke said the exchange of money is typically when most kidnappers are caught. The abductors are demanding $6 million by 5 p.m. on Monday.

The exchange of money begins with ‘proof of life,’” he said. In a modern, high-tech world that includes AI, kidnappers can no longer only provide a simple pH๏τo of a victim holding a newspaper from today.

“They gotta ask her a question now. Where did you meet your husband? What did Savannah give you for Christmas this year? Stuff like that,” Clarke said. “What was your first car? Things that only she would know.”

Clarke also said the kidnappers’ previous move to send ransom notes to the press was a “rookie move.”

“No one in 40 years have I seen anybody do a kidnapping, send a ransom note, and then not contact [the family]. The people have no communication with them. That tells me that something went wrong,” Clarke said.

Clarke also called the ransom demand for Bitcoin “stupid,” as the FBI is capable of tracing a Bitcoin wallet if a payment is made.

Clarke suggested the kidnappers may not have a viable plan for proof of life or for collecting the money, or that investigators may be interfering with the kidnappers’ efforts to buy additional time.

He said their best option is to return her alive to avoid murder charges.

“Leave her with water, leave her with some food. Make damn sure she doesn’t die, because if she dies, it’s murder,” he said.

2 hours ago

Former hostage negotiator says ransom ᴅᴇᴀᴅline not the ‘end of the story,’ just the ‘next chapter’

Former Hostage Negotiator Dan O’Shea said on Sunday that the ᴅᴇᴀᴅline approaching for a $6 million ransom in the case of Nancy Guthrie’s abduction “doesn’t mean the end of the story,” saying he thinks it “would be the next chapter.”

O’Shea made the comment during an appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Night in America” ahead of the ransom ᴅᴇᴀᴅline of 5 p.m. on Monday.

“They don’t even have a person of interest at this point, which makes it even harder,” he said. “So this this evil right now is a ghost in the wind. And, you know, we’re all waiting with bated breath, how it’s going to turn out.”

“With the ᴅᴇᴀᴅline tomorrow approaching, we have to see next to how they’re going to step up their game,” O’Shea added. “But I would say this, we had proof of life and ransom demands and windows on multiple occasions by very hard groups, literally ISIS-type groups, but we got past those ᴅᴇᴀᴅlines. So just the fact that there’s a ᴅᴇᴀᴅline tomorrow at five o’clock, that doesn’t mean the end of the story. I just think it would be the the next chapter, frankly.”

6 hours ago
Just 24 hours left until final alleged ransom ᴅᴇᴀᴅline in Nancy Guthrie case

There are 24 hours to go until the next and final alleged ransom ᴅᴇᴀᴅline connected to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, authorities are investigating two alleged ransom notes tied to the case.

The first ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, set for 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, already pᴀssed. A second ᴅᴇᴀᴅline is reportedly set for Monday, Feb. 9.

Officials have confirmed that news outlets, including TMZ and local Arizona stations, received potential ransom notes.

Authorities say the notes contained “sensitive information” that may have been known only to Nancy Guthrie or her alleged captors, though the full contents have not been released publicly.

TMZ founder Harvey Levin discussed one alleged ransom note his newsroom received on “Hannity” and said the message claimed Guthrie was “safe, but scared,”

The note reportedly demanded payment in bitcoin.

Meanwhile, KGUN 9 in Tucson reported that it received a note demanding $6 million before 5 p.m. local time Monday and threatening Nancy Guthrie’s life if the family does not meet the ᴅᴇᴀᴅline.

The station later removed the video of the report it had posted online.

6 hours ago
Could kidnappers hide Nancy Guthrie ‘in plain sight’?

A retired NYPD sergeant says the case involving Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC “Today” show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, does not resemble a typical ransom kidnapping.

“This one might rewrite textbooks because there’s so many different oddities that are going on,” retired NYPD Sgt. Joe Giacalone said.

Giacalone questioned why an elderly woman with medical needs would be targeted in a financially motivated crime.

“Why would you choose an 84-year-old woman in the physical condition that she’s in?” he said. “She’s on medication. There’s so many things that could go wrong… the risk far outweighs the benefits.”

He also raised concerns about the level of media attention surrounding the case, noting that ransom kidnappings typically rely on anonymity.

“Especially a news reporter at NBC, where it’s going to be major news — and then send the thing to TMZ on top of it,” Giacalone said, calling the exposure “overkill.”

Just a few miles outside of town, there are tracts of public land where anyone could park an RV or van potentially with a hostage inside in “plain sight.”

“I would think you’d want a more remote location where you don’t have neighbors accidentally stumbling upon what you’re doing,” he said.

Fox News contributor Josh Ritter echoed that ᴀssessment, noting that RV or “van life” communities tend to keep to themselves and do not ask many questions, a dynamic that can allow people to blend in without drawing attention.

Giacalone added that modern ransom schemes require planning and technical capability.

“You better have a strong VPN and a strong signal if you’re contacting them through Bitcoin wallets,” he said.

Ultimately, Giacalone said the circumstances surrounding the case point away from a conventional ransom plot.

“This doesn’t track with how these crimes usually work,” he said.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

7 hours ago
Former Secret Service agent warns Nancy Guthrie case timeline ‘not good for anybody’

Former Secret Service agent Chuck Marino weighed in on the ongoing search for Nancy Guthrie during an appearance on “Fox Report.”

As investigators entered the eighth day, Marino said the prolonged timeline raises concerns about the perpetrators’ intent as well as the case outcome.

“This seems to be taking an extraordinary amount of time to resolve,” Marino said before explaining how time “in these types of cases, is not good for anybody in terms of outcome.”

“As far as the perpetrators go, if this were truly and purely a money grab to bring Nancy Guthrie back to her family in exchange for money or cryptocurrency, in whatever form they want to take, getting this done faster rather than later is to their advantage,” he added.

“For going this long, you are giving investigators the upper hand here to be able to hope that the perpetrators either slip up or that the technology can be exploited to track these perpetrators down,” Marino said.

“There’s been no proof of life right now, which is very concerning, which means originally this could have been a money grab, but something may have gone wrong early on with the person that they kidnapped, and they’re unable to provide proof of life.”

“Or this has been one of the greatest diversionary tactics in history, and ransom has never been the goal of the perpetrators,” Marino claimed.

8 hours ago
Sheriff maintains security presence at Nancy Guthrie’s home as search continues

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department says it will maintain a security presence at the home of Nancy Guthrie at the request of her family, as the search for the missing 84-year-old enters its eighth day. In a statement, the sheriff’s department emphasized that the added presence is strictly for security purposes going forward.

Authorities reminded members of the public and the media that all traffic and private property laws must be followed. No trespᴀssing is allowed on Nancy Guthrie’s property, and violations will be subject to enforcement. The department said it appreciates the public’s cooperation.

The update comes as investigators continue to search for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, who was reported abducted eight days ago. The sheriff’s department said Sunday that follow-up activity is ongoing at multiple locations, but no suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles have been identified in the case.

Officials also noted that there are no scheduled press briefings at this time, though a press conference will be held if significant developments occur.

8 hours ago
Nancy Guthrie’s church calls on congregation to pray for missing 84-year-old

Churchgoers at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, where Nancy Guthrie worships, joined in prayer Sunday, led by Pastor John тιтtle.

Early in the service, тιтtle said the congregation continues to stand with the Guthrie family while honoring the family’s privacy.

He said the family’s request was simple, which is to pray and ask for God’s protection over Guthrie, as well as compᴀssion from those responsible.

“We are seeking to just honor the family’s privacy and their desires,” тιтtle said.

“It was communicated to me, ‘pray.’ We’re going to keep praying through this horrific ordeal,” he said, according to NBC News.

тιтtle’s prayer also asked God to “guide the authorities in their search for Nancy.”

He further asked God to soften the hearts of “those who are responsible” so they may do what is “humane and right.”

тιтtle also centered his message on forgiveness, acknowledging the pain and heartbreak surrounding the case. Forgiveness is “essential for our survival,” he said.

The church’s director of communications, Amy Grover, also described Guthrie, a member of the church for 30 years, as a beloved part of the community, the outlet reported.

8 hours ago
Guthrie case sees flurry of activity then silence, FBI ‘тιԍнт-lipped’ on investigation, says expert

Criminal defense attorney and Fox News contributor Josh Ritter said law enforcement returned to Nancy Guthrie’s home, but there was little clarity on being closer to solving the case.

“It’s like we have a flurry of activity followed by silence and seemingly no new updates, and then another flurry of activity, but none of it seems to be leading toward any kind of end,” Ritter told Fox News.

“They are kind of going over the same territory again.

“Now it sounds like they’re retrieving new evidence that might be moving the investigation forward, but given what we heard just in the last 24 hours or so, the idea that there was new contact from the potential kidnappers, that the Guthries did respond to that with their own message and that Instagram post that we’ve all seen now, even the president’s own comments gave this kind of an anticipation and energy in the air.

“It seems to have fallen off now that we haven’t heard anything, and there doesn’t seem to be any new developments coming from the investigation.”

Ritter also said that as the FBI becomes more involved, they will likely become more guarded about sharing information publicly.

“They’re notorious for being тιԍнт-lipped about where their progress is on a case, and there’s a reason behind that.

“They don’t want the criminals finding out what they’re up to and what their leads might be, and how close they might be, just given news coverage.

“It could be that any moment now, we get a huge development. But it does seem that when you’re trying to take the temperature of the current investigation, it may have reached yet another standstill,” he added.

11 hours ago
Former ‘Today’ co-host says he believes NBC could ‘easily’ pay ransom to bring Nancy Guthrie home

Billy Bush, a former “Today” co-host and colleague of Savannah Guthrie at NBC, suggested during an interview on “The Sunday Briefing” that the network can easily get the ransom to the abductors of Savannah’s mother, Nancy Guthrie.

Bush said that he believed there were reasons to be “very hopeful and optimistic” about Nancy Guthrie.

“I mean, you know, the report is that there’s, Monday by five o’clock, they want a $6 million Bitcoin ransom,” Bush said. “That means that Nancy Guthrie is well, and you know $6 million for NBC is a quick stroke of a, well, a quick hit send. And they should be able to get that done very easily.”

Bush was referring to a reported $6 million ransom that was reported by local Tucson TV station KGUN 9. The station posted a video report on X Saturday night before taking it down later Sunday. It was unclear why the outlet removed the video post.

11 hours ago
Aerial footage shows authorities searching manhole behind Nancy Guthrie’s house

Officials with the Pima County Sheriff’s Office returned to Nancy Guthrie’s Tucson, Arizona, home on Sunday to search a nearby septic tank.

Footage captured by the Fox Flight Team shows authorities using a pole to probe a manhole located behind Guthrie’s property.

11 hours ago
Sheriff’s department gives update on Nancy Guthrie investigation

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department provided an update Sunday on the investigation into the abduction of Nancy Guthrie eight days ago.

“The Nancy Guthrie investigation is ongoing. Follow-up continues at multiple locations. No suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles have been identified,” the sheriff’s department wrote in a post on X.

The post added that there will be no scheduled press briefings, though if any “significant developments occur,” authorities will hold a press conference.

The post from the sheriff’s department comes as Savannah Guthrie posted a new video to Instagram on Saturday, saying her family had received a message and was pleading for the return of their missing mother. The family did not detail what this message said.

“We received your message and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her,” Savannah Guthrie said, seated between her siblings, Annie Guthrie and Camron Guthrie. “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”

12 hours ago
Nancy Guthrie investigators seen with topographic map

Investigators were seen using what appeared to be a topographic map at a staging area near the home of Nancy Guthrie in Tucson, Arizona, last week.

The investigators were pictured Thursday around 5 p.m. in the La Encantada mall parking lot, which is just minutes from Nancy Guthrie’s home.

Fox News contributor Paul Mauro told Fox News Digital on Sunday that what investigators were using appeared to be a topographic map.

“Looks like something they were going to use to grid out to keep track of search areas,” Mauro said, noting that they appeared to still have been searching then, and may still be.

On Saturday, investigators were seen carrying what appeared to be a rolled map into the headquarters of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

13 hours ago
Sheriff’s vehicle returns to Nancy Guthrie’s home Sunday morning

Law enforcement returned to the home of Nancy Guthrie in Tucson, Arizona, on Sunday morning, as the search for the 84-year-old grandmother enters its eighth day.

A Pima County Sheriff’s Department vehicle was seen pulling up to Nancy Guthrie’s house, though it was unclear what deputies were doing at the home.

The deputy did not immediately appear to exit the vehicle.

Law enforcement was previously seen at the home of Annie Guthrie, Nancy’s daughter, for two and a half hours on Saturday evening. They were seen leaving at 10:30 p.m. local time after appearing to take pH๏τographs in the garage and inside another part of the home.

At the time, Fox News Digital observed a deputy loading a white case into his vehicle, which he had carried inside earlier, along with what appeared to be a grocery-size brown bag.

14 hours ago
Jeanine Pirro says Nancy Guthrie investigators are likely ‘keeping a lot close to the vest’

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro told “FOX & Friends Weekend” on Sunday that investigators in the search for Nancy Guthrie are likely keeping some details of her kidnapping confidential and may be having “backdoor communication” with the abductors.

Pirro said investigators appeared to be “keeping a lot close to the vest” as questions linger about many of the details in the 84-year-old’s abduction.

“Who took her home? We don’t know. Who was at dinner that night? Were there other people at dinner? Were there any kind of conversations that we may not know about? They know about it; we don’t know about it,” Pirro said.

Following the latest video plea the Guthrie family posted on Instagram, Pirro suggested that the Guthrie family and investigators may have another line of communication with the abductors that is not public.

“I really believe there’s a backdoor communication going on here that we don’t know about,” she said.

Pirro added that the abductors appear to be “very sophisticated,” noting the use of IP addresses and VPNs that could go through other countries, and the demand for money through Bitcoin.

“A lot of thought that went into this,” Pirro said.

16 hours ago
Search for Nancy Guthrie pᴀsses one-week mark

Nancy Guthrie’s pacemaker lost sync with her Apple devices exactly one week ago this morning.

While the Pima County sheriff has said no suspects have been ruled out and no persons of interest have been identified, Fox News Digital learned yesterday from a gas station clerk that investigators have been seeking security video of an unidentified male.

Investigators also spent hours yesterday inside the home of Annie Guthrie and her husband Tommaso Cioni, Nancy’s daughter and son-in-law, whose home Nancy ate dinner at hours before she is believed to have been abducted against her will at her own house 4.3 miles away.

Fox News also obtained images of investigators carrying a map — which criminal defense attorney Josh Ritter says may be part of a search for a body, rather than a hostage.

Video from last night shows an investigator entering Annie Guthrie’s home with a white case or folding table. The same investigator left later also carrying a brown paper bag.

While investigators were inside, dozens of camera flashes could be seen and heard, and occasional, loud clanking noises emerged from the home.

Nancy is still missing, although her adult children, including NBC’s “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, have released a video message saying they were willing to meet ransom demands.

Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI. There is a $50K reward for cracking the case.

18 hours ago
Law enforcement leaves Annie Guthrie’s home after hours of activity inside

Law enforcement left Annie Guthrie’s home at 10:30 p.m. local time after spending about two and a half hours at the residence Saturday evening.

At least four members of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department arrived at the property in two unmarked white SUVs and a white truck, marking the first extended law enforcement activity at Annie Guthrie’s home in days.

As police left the residence, Fox News Digital observed a deputy loading a white case into his vehicle, which he had carried inside earlier, along with what appeared to be a grocery-size brown bag.

Law enforcement appeared to begin taking pictures in the garage before moving to the opposite side of the home, where three bedrooms are located.

White pH๏τography flashes were visible inside the home and garage. A jacket was placed over one of the home’s windows, blocking it from view of media outside.

While outside the home, Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Michael Ruiz reported hearing clanking noises coming from inside, suggesting law enforcement may have been moving items.

It remains unclear whether anyone is currently residing in the home.

On Thursday, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department declined to say whether any of Nancy Guthrie’s family members had been ruled out as suspects in her disappearance.

On Saturday morning, Fox News Digital learned the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department are looking for an unidentified male in connection with the case after two plainclothes officers visited a gas station near Nancy Guthrie’s home.

A gas station employee told Fox News Digital that local and federal authorities asked to review surveillance video related to what the employee described as “some guy.”

“They just showed up,” the employee said. “They asked if they could see camera footage.” When asked what authorities viewed, the employee said investigators did not provide details. “They said they were looking for some guy who got away,” the employee added. “No description.”