First Nancy Guthrie ransom note revealed as chilling new details emerge in kidnapping investigation

The first ransom note sent after the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, has been made public for the first time, revealing chilling threats, multimillion-dollar demands and detailed references to the 84-year-old's home.

According to People, the note was recently read aloud by crime journalist Briana Whitney on the Crime Junkie podcast. It began: "Hello Savannah, we have your mother, Nancy."

The message claimed Nancy was "safe but scared" and warned that her life depended on Savannah complying with the kidnappers' demands.

The alleged abductors demanded $4 million in Bitcoin by 5 February, warning that the amount would increase to $6 million if payment was not made by 9 February. The note also instructed Savannah not to contact law enforcement or negotiate, threatening that Nancy would be killed if the deadline passed.

To convince the family the writer had inside knowledge, the note included specific details about Nancy's Tucson, Arizona, home, including references to items inside the property and damage to a backyard floodlight. Investigators initially viewed those details as potentially lending credibility to the message.

Nancy disappeared from her home on February 1, after surveillance footage captured a masked individual tampering with her doorbell camera in the early hours of the morning. Authorities have since treated the case  a suspected abduction, with the Pima County Sheriff's Department leading the investigation alongside the FBI.

Months later, a second message surfaced claiming Nancy had died shortly after the kidnapping, though it did not include a fresh ransom demand. Savannah has repeatedly appealed for information, urging anyone with knowledge of her mother's whereabouts to contact investigators.

However, the investigation took another dramatic turn earlier this month when an FBI official told Reuters that all three publicly reported ransom-related messages had been deemed inauthentic, suggesting they were not sent by Nancy's actual kidnappers. The Pima County Sheriff's Department has continued to describe the case as an active investigation and has not confirmed the authenticity of any of the communications.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the notes, authorities continue searching for answers in Nancy's disappearance. No suspects have been publicly identified, and investigators are urging anyone with information to come forward as the search for the missing grandmother continues.