Ransom note said Savannah Guthrie’s mother died after abduction

A ransom note sent after the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, said she died shortly after she was abducted from her Arizona home, ABC News reported, citing sources familiar with the investigation.

The note was one of two messages sent to Tucson media outlets after Guthrie, 78, was reported missing on February 1 from her home in the Catalina Foothills area near Tucson. Investigators considered the notes potentially credible and the FBI tried to trace where they came from, ABC News reported.

The first note demanded cryptocurrency in exchange for Guthrie’s return. The second note, sent shortly afterward to a Tucson television station, said Guthrie had died after she was taken and had been buried in nature.

Brian Entin of NewsNation reported that the second note indicated Guthrie’s death was not intentional but did not include a direct apology.

The message reportedly surfaced on February 7, when Savannah Guthrie released a video appeal after investigators began reviewing the ransom notes sent to KOLD, a Tucson television station.

“We received your message and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her,” Guthrie said in the video at the time. “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay.”

Authorities have said Guthrie was taken against her will from her home. The FBI has offered a reward for information in the case, while the family has separately offered $1 million for information leading to her recovery.