The first ransom note Savannah Guthrie and her family received about the disappearance of her mother, Nancy, reportedly told the NBC host that her mother’s life “is in your hands.”
During an appearance on the immensely popular true crime podcast “Crime Junkie,” journalist Briana Whitney told host of the show Ashley Flowers details about what the ransom note stated.
What The Nancy Guthrie Note Reportedly Stated
Whitney read what she claimed the actual text stated: “Hello, Savannah. We have your mother, Nancy. She is safe but scared. She will be held for ransom, and once payment is received, she will be released unharmed. We will be holding her for a maximum of seven days.”
“Once payment is received to the Bitcoin address below, she will be released within 12 hours of deposit to a safe drop off location back in Tucson,” Whitney also said the note stated.
“If the payment is not received by the last deadline on Monday the 9th at 5 p.m.,” the family matriarch would pass away, Whitney said the note stated. “Your mother is aware of this and her life is in your hands. It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible. You will not be able to contact me from here on out. There will be no negotiation. Do not play games. Law enforcement will not be able to help you.”
Near the end of the text she explained that whoever wrote the note described details about Nancy and her house, seemingly as proof of their credibility. “She had a white smart watch that was on the floor near her bed, like at the foot of her bed, and then there was this floodlight that was destroyed in the back yard,” Whitney claimed the note stated.
However, Whitney cautioned that the FBI has yet to declare the note as legitimate.
What You May Have Missed About Nancy Guthrie’s Disappearance
Nancy vanished on Jan. 31 and was officially reported missing the following day. Investigators believe she was taken from her Tucson, Arizona, residence in the early hours of the morning by a masked intruder captured on surveillance video. The footage shows the individual approaching her home and appearing to tamper with the doorbell camera before the abduction.
Whitney said the message spelled out the demanded amount in U.S. dollars and laid out two separate cutoff dates. According to sources who previously spoke with PEOPLE, the note outlined two escalating payments: $4 million in bitcoin due Thursday, Feb. 5, followed by a higher demand of $6 million by Monday, Feb. 9 if the first deadline wasn’t met.
A previous NBC report claimed that a second ransom note stated that Nancy was no longer living. Following the report, Savannah made an emotional appearance on “Today”: “I wanted to just take the opportunity to ask people, really to beg people, to come forward. Somebody knows something,” she said.
PEOPLE was among the first outlets to report on the new first ransom note details.
