NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, has been missing for over a week, with new developments emerging in the case. Harvey Levin, founder of entertainment news platform TMZ, disclosed on Wednesday that they received a mysterious email claiming to know the exact identity of the kidnapper and making new ransom demands.
This marks the third letter related to the case since Nancy Guthrie, 84, disappeared on January 31. Levin described this latest message on Fox News as “quite bizarre.” The sender claimed to know the kidnapper and stated attempts to contact Savannah’s siblings, Annie and her brother, went unanswered.
Unlike previous high ransom demands, this individual requested a bitcoin transfer to an active cryptocurrency address. Levin confirmed the address’s existence, with the sender emphasizing that “time is not merely relevant anymore,” hinting at the urgency of the situation. The email included a specific name and contact information, now in the hands of law enforcement for further investigation.
Prior to this, the case had seen two significant ransom demands, complicating the situation further. Initially, the kidnapper demanded $6 million in bitcoin via an anonymous letter, setting the deadline for Monday at 5 p.m. The deadline has passed without further contact from the perpetrator. Subsequently, a man from California claimed responsibility for the kidnapping in a letter. However, the FBI arrested him in Hawthorne, California, confirming the letter was a deliberate attempt to mislead the investigation.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that investigators are focusing on multiple persons of interest in the case. Despite the release of detainee Carlos Palazuelos, Patel emphasized the FBI’s technological advancements in uncovering previously deleted or unreadable data, leading to substantial progress in the investigation.
Despite ongoing developments, there is still no latest proof from the FBI or the Guthrie family regarding Nancy Guthrie’s current status or whether she is still alive.