Nancy Guthrie, 84, disappeared from her home outside Tucson, Arizona, on 1 February. Authorities quickly concluded she had been taken against her will: blood was discovered near the front door, her essential heart medication was left behind, and doorbell-camera footage showed an armed, masked man tampering with the lens in the early hours. Despite a large-scale search involving the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, no trace of her has been found in more than four months.

US media disclosed on 23 June that two ransom notes were sent to news organisations in the days after the disappearance. The first, according to law enforcement sources cited by multiple outlets, demanded millions of dollars in Bitcoin for her safe return. A second note, received around 6 February, stated that Nancy Guthrie had died shortly after being taken and that her death was not intentional. Tucson television station KOLD, which received both communications, reported that the second message made no demand for payment and described her as having been “buried with nature”. Investigators have treated the notes as potentially credible, but their authenticity has not been publicly confirmed, and the FBI has declined to comment on the contents.

On Tuesday, Savannah Guthrie addressed the reports on NBC’s Today programme, saying she was not involved in the network’s coverage but could not “pretend I’m not here”. Visibly distressed, she begged the public to come forward with any information, repeating that her family was “in agony” and would “never stop looking”. The family had already offered a $1m reward, in addition to a $100,000 reward from the FBI. A video released by the family in February, in which they said “we received your message, and we understand”, suggests they were aware of the death claim at an early stage.

The investigation remains active, with more than 19,000 tips received, but no suspect has been identified and no arrests have been made. Searches by volunteers and law enforcement, including recent efforts near the Arizona–Mexico border, have yielded no physical evidence of Nancy Guthrie’s whereabouts. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has referred all questions about the notes to the FBI, which has not issued a formal statement. The case continues without a confirmed outcome.