The Sheriff leading the investigation into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance has explained why authorities decided to release two ransom notes.
Two letters sent in relation to the vanishing of Savannah Guthrie's elderly mother in Arizona in February have been made public for the first time and Chris Nanos of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) has explained he hopes the release of the documents will provide a much-needed lead in the case as they could "jog" someone's memory.
In a video posted on X, Nanos explained: "We just saw what was being said, and we felt like we needed to put something out that’s really accurate, and this was the time.
"Investigators felt like there’s a number of pieces of information in these notes that it just might jog someone to say: 'I’ve heard that', or [recognize] the wording, the style of the writing. It might jog somebody to think about who would’ve written this, how was this done?"
He added: "My investigators, we look at it, and clearly there’s things in there that are very concerning to our investigative team. So we hope that by releasing the actual note we’ll get some response from the community."
The first note was sent to KOLD-TV 13 News, a local CBS affiliate on 2 February, the day after Nancy was reported missing, and addressed to Today show presenter Savannah.
It read: “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 7 days.”
The broadcaster was asked to send “Bitcoin in the amount of $4 million USD before 5 p.m. on Thursday."
The alleged kidnappers warned Savannah her mother would be "killed" of the payment wasn't received.
The second note, addressed to the Guthrie Family, was sent to KOLD on 6 February and claimed Nancy had died. It read: “We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition.
"We never intended to hurt her, that was not our intention. She perished shortly after she was taken. We believe it was heart-related.
"She is buried in nature now. Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome. We want your family to know this and hope you all can find peace. We are truly sorry."
Since the release of the notes, Savannah has issued a fresh plea for help in finding out what happened to her mother following her disappearance from her home in Tucson.
Sharing a photo of Nancy on Instagram, Savannah wrote: "This is our beautiful Mom. Six months ago, someone took her out of her bed in the dead of night.
"We have lived every moment, every breath, and every heartbeat in agony and despair ever since.
"Every day, we wake up and try to be strong and go on - because that’s what our joyful and resilient Mom taught us to do. But make no mistake - our hearts are in ruins ..."
She added: "There is a determination in us that cannot be quenched - to find out what happened to her, so that we can give her the dignity of a proper goodbye - a celebration of her remarkable life that she so deserves.
"We are begging for help. We are desperate. We need someone to come forward. Someone knows something. Someone suspects something. Someone recognizes the writing in the ransom demand notes.
"Someone has noticed something different, strange, troubling or just unusual - perhaps with someone they deeply love. Perhaps they are afraid to come forward. Perhaps they are conflicted. Perhaps they are angry or upset for being in this situation.
"There is a way out - to tell what you know. You can do so anonymously. The reward is available. There is a way to end this situation and do the right thing."
