TMZ founder Harvey Levin just revealed shocking new details about the ransom letter his outlet received in connection with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie.
Levin appeared on CNN on February 5, 2026, shortly after Savannah’s brother, Camron Guthrie, appeared in a new social media video, appealing to whoever may be holding their mom hostage. The post was uploaded at 5 p.m. in Tucson, Arizona, which was the first deadline outlined by the writer of a ransom note sent to three media outlets, including TMZ, authorities confirmed during a press conference earlier that day.
Harvey Levin Says Ransom Letter Writer Refused to Communicate Further About Nancy Guthrie
Savannah, Camron, and their sister Annie appeared in a video on February 4, noting that they’re “ready to talk” but pleading with their mom’s captor to provide them with something to prove their mom is alive.
Camron’s February 5 video, uploaded to Savannah’s Instagram account, came as the first deadline was passing, with him saying, “Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly.”
Appearing on CNN in an interview with Anderson Cooper, Levin said they might never hear from the person who wrote the ransom letter, which TMZ received earlier in the week and forwarded to authorities.
“It specifically says there will be no further communication,” Levin told Cooper. “They say no negotiation and no communication. I will tell you that the first words in the letter are that Nancy is safe but scared. They also say she is aware of the demands made in this ransom letter.”
Levin later said that whoever wrote the “carefully crafted letter” seems to be “a rational actor,” noting, “This is a letter that really spells out precisely what they want done, what the consequences are if they don’t get what they want. They layer it, so things changed today at 5 o’clock Tucson time. They talk about her health, that she’s okay.”
“I don’t know if this actually is the person who has Nancy Guthrie,” he added, “but the way this letter is crafted, it is a rational actor.”
Second Deadline in Ransom Letter is Far More ‘Consequential’ Than the 1st
NBCUniversalAt the press conference held earlier in the day, FBI Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke, Phoenix Division, confirmed that the ransom letters received by three different media outlets (TMZ and two Arizona news stations) were identical. He also confirmed that the letter outlined two deadlines for meeting the kidnapper’s demands — one at 5 p.m. on February 5 and, if that passed without action, the other would be on Monday, February 9.
“I know you’re choosing your words carefully, as you should, and we want you to,” Cooper told Levin during their CNN discussion, inquiring about the deadlines. “Can you just share anything else about that?”
“So, the deadline that just passed had to do with the demand,” Levin said, later confirming that the writer asked to be paid via Bitcoin. “The Monday deadline has more to do with consequences, and Anderson, that’s … about as much as I can say. I think everybody kind of knows the way this plays out when people write ransom notes.”
TMZ’s IT Team Couldn’t Trace Email But Harvey Levin Believes Nancy Guthrie is Still in Arizona
GettyCooper then asked what TMZ’s IT team found when trying to decode where the emailed ransom note came from and Levin answered, “Well, it’s really complicated and it’s kind of above my skill level, but I will tell you that I had my IT guys talk to the FBI. We couldn’t crack it and honestly, the way my IT team explained it, I don’t think that authorities have cracked it either.”
Levin also said that “the letter even says ‘the police will be no help to you.” He theorized that the level of sophistication in covering up any digital tracks was another signal to authorities that the ransom letter could be legitimate. He also said he thinks Nancy is likely still in the Tucson area.
He explained, “I’ve been reading this letter over and over, and I now feel more strongly than ever, based on something that’s in this letter — I believe there’s a radius around Tucson of where this person may be. And if this person really does have Nancy Guthrie … I think there is a radius around Tucson that they kind of disclose in this demand letter. I mean, they say as much — say that she is within a certain radius.”
Anyone with information on the case is encouraged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or to email online@tips.fbi.gov.
