Nancy Guthrie‘s suspected kidnapper sent a number of detailed ransom notes, and admitted in one of the letters that the 84-year-old is no longer alive, Air Mail says they learned from sources closely connected to the investigation. However, TMZ, who says they were in contact with the FBI about the case for a while before the agency “ghosted” them, countered that report with their own report saying this never happened. Here’s the breakdown.
News Outlet Founded by Former Vanity Fair Editor Claims Ransom Note ‘Apologized’ for Nancy Guthrie’s Death Shortly Before Savannah Guthrie’s ‘We Understand’ Video
GettyAir Mail, which was launched in 2019 by former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter and former New York Times correspondent Alessandra Stanley, says their two sources are “close to the team working on the case.” They say those sources revealed that the initial emails that arrived shortly after Nancy’s disappearance seemed promising.
T’he emails, which were sent to local TV stations and TMZ, accurately described what Guthrie was wearing the night she was abducted and also mentioned a damaged floodlight in her backyard. The report says the exact number of emails received is unknown, but the first came in at 6:42 on February 2, the day after Nancy was taken.
The report says these early messages claimed Nancy was “safe but scared,” and demanded that $4 million be sent to a Bitcoin wallet by 5 P.M. on February 5, and the kidnapper would safely return Nancy. The story notes the message insisted the family should pay “or else,” and said the sum would be raised to $6 million if the money was not received by February 9.
However, things took a dark turn when the suspect reached out on February 6 using the same I.P. address. Air Mail says they learned the sender began this message with a less confident tone and offered a “sputtering and labored” apology for Nancy’s unintended death. The note went on to suggest Nancy’s body could be returned for the original $4 million, or another amount the outlet says was never clarified.
The message in which the kidnapper apologized for Nancy’s death was received right before Savannah Guthrie and her siblings put out the video in which the news anchor cryptically said, “We received your message and we understand” before begging for the return of their mother’s body so “we can celebrate with her.”
Although Savannah offered, “This is very valuable to us, and we will pay,” the kidnapper never sent any further communications.
The report says investigators have used the contents of the notes to piece together a profile of the suspected kidnapper. It notes the individual is “educated, articulate, and knowledgeable about the intricacies of crypto-currency.” It says the “apology” indicates the kidnapper was someone “in over their head” rather than a career criminal.
TMZ Says Report of Ransom Note Never Said Nancy Guthrie Passed Away; Admits FBI ‘Ghosted’ Them
TMZ says they received a communication which was a “real deal” ransom note, according to the FBI, but they say it did not contain an apology or a revelation that Nancy was dead, contrary to the recent report by Air Mail.
However, Air Mail says the suspect sent multiple communications to both TMZ and local news outlets, so it is theoretically possible the information about Nancy’s death was contained in one of the other emails. TMZ’s report does not say how they know the kidnapper never apologized or admitted that Nancy was gone.
The outlet goes on to say they received “close to a dozen” emails from a man claiming he knew the identity of the kidnappers and Nancy’s location, and promised to provide information in exchange for a single bitcoin and warned “time is of the essence.” TMZ says this person “made it clear he was not the kidnapper.”
They go on to say the man followed this up with another email saying “time is no longer of the essence,” seeming to indicate Nancy was no longer alive. They say he said he needed the money because “he would have to go underground for fear of retribution,” and also worried authorities might “try to implicate him in the kidnapping.”
TMZ Says FBI ‘Ghosted’ Them After they Proposed a Documentary Following Up on Bitcoin Lead
TMZ says after they received the email from a person they believe was not the kidnapper offering information in exchange for bitcoin, they reached out to the FBI and asked how the agency would feel “if we paid the bitcoin to see where it would lead.”
They say they “did not want to interfere with the investigation or the Guthrie family so we asked the FBI if that would be helpful.”
TMZ says after they floated the documentary idea, the FBI called it “interesting” and said they would get back, but then “ghosted” them. The report concludes, “The FBI have always been responsive and they genuinely want to solve this case,” but says the idea of producing a documentary about following the bitcoin lead “struck a nerve and we don’t know why.”
