Guthrie's Mom Missing, Ransom
Savannah Guthrie seeks information with $1M reward after new ransom note claims mother's death
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A second ransom note has revealed that Nancy Guthrie, 84-year-old mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, is dead — abducted from her Tucson home in the early hours of February 1 and now believed buried, according to ABC News and CNN. The note claimed her death was "not intentional" and that she is "buried with nature." Law enforcement sources confirmed the note's contents on June 22-23, ending a voluntary media blackout meant to protect the investigation.
Savannah Guthrie made a public plea for help, saying "we need your help" as her family offered a $1 million reward for information. The FBI added $100,000 of its own. Together with an anonymous local donation of $102,500 through 88-CRIME, the total reward pool now exceeds $1.2 million, according to NBC News and Business Insider.
How Nancy Guthrie Was Taken From Her Home
Nancy was dropped off at her Catalina Foothills home in Tucson at 9:45 PM on January 31 after dinner at her daughter Annie's house, according to CBS News. Less than five hours later, at 1:47 AM on February 1, a masked intruder manually disconnected her Google Nest doorbell camera. At 2:28 AM, Nancy's pacemaker app disconnected from her phone — the moment investigators believe she was taken.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos confirmed signs of forced entry and bloodstains near the front door. The family reported her missing the next morning after she failed to show up at church. The first ransom note arrived on February 2, sent to media outlets including TMZ. It demanded millions in Bitcoin and included specific details — like a broken porch light and an Apple Watch on the bedroom floor — that only someone inside the home would know, CBS News reported.
Two Ransom Notes, One Confirmed Death Claim
The second note, received February 6 by Tucson media, was the more devastating one. It stated Nancy had died, though the sender claimed it was unintentional. CNN reported that the note said she is "buried with nature." Investigators found that both notes shared similar language and style and came from the same computer address, strongly suggesting a single source.
The FBI released surveillance footage on February 10 of a suspect dubbed "Porch Guy" — a masked individual, roughly 5'9" to 5'10", wearing an Ozark Trail Hiker Pack. Retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer noted a key contradiction: the suspect was careful enough to target the camera but apparently didn't know the footage had already uploaded to the cloud, according to the Hidden Killers Podcast.
A Crypto-Targeting Crime With Few Modern Parallels
Experts have described the abduction as a "proxy wrench attack" — where a vulnerable person is kidnapped to pressure a wealthy relative into paying cryptocurrency. The initial ransom demand was reportedly $6 million in Bitcoin, according to MENA FN. Nancy's age makes the case especially rare. FBI data cited by Fox News Digital shows that kidnapping victims aged 80 to 89 account for just 1% of all U.S. abductions. Only 168 such cases were recorded last year out of 54,653 total.
President Trump publicly directed "all federal law enforcement" to help the family and called for the death penalty for the kidnappers, The New York Post reported. Some analysts, including Ashleigh Banfield, have questioned whether the suspect had inside knowledge of the property, raising the possibility that this was not a random attack. More than 750 tips poured in within 24 hours of the family's reward announcement, according to KARE 11.
Family Holds On to Hope While Asking for the Public's Help
Savannah Guthrie took a two-month leave from the Today show before returning on April 6. In a February Instagram video, she addressed the kidnappers directly: "We received your message and we understand... we will pay." By February 24, she and her siblings Cameron and Annie publicly offered the $1 million reward, acknowledging that their mother "may already be gone," according to The Guardian.
The family is urging anyone with information to come forward. The FBI's Phoenix field office is leading the federal investigation. Nancy requires daily medication, has high blood pressure, mobility issues, and relies on a pacemaker — making every day critical, the Associated Press noted. Anyone with tips can contact the FBI or the 88-CRIME hotline to be eligible for the reward.
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