A chilling new development has emerged in the case of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. A man, claiming to know her alleged kidnapper, has issued a ransom note demanding $65,000 from her family.
Nancy, the mother of NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie, vanished in the early hours of February 1 after being dropped off at her Tucson, Arizona home. The disappearance has left her family and authorities on high alert.
Security footage from Nancy’s door camera captured a masked individual near her residence. The suspect’s identity remains elusive, as they were heavily disguised, making it difficult for authorities to identify them from the footage released on Tuesday.
The ransom demand was first communicated on Wednesday via an email sent to TMZ. The sender requested payment in Bitcoin, amounting to approximately $65,000, in exchange for information regarding Nancy’s whereabouts.
When the requested funds were not transferred, the mysterious emailer escalated by sending another message to the gossip site early Thursday morning. This follow-up email carried a more menacing tone.
“I am not being taken seriously,” the email ominously warned, suggesting the situation could become more dire if the demands continue to be ignored.
Further ‘ominous’ statements were supposedly made in the email were not disclosed at the request of police and the FBI.
The anonymous email author claimed in the note that they would need money ‘to lay low after identifying the kidnapper for fear of retaliation’.
Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie (pictured together), disappeared in the early hours of February 1 after being dropped off at her home in Tucson, Arizona
Savannah and her siblings, Camron and Annie, in a video they shared online asking for help
They further noted concerned over being ‘incriminated like that Carlos guy’ – a delivery driver who was briefly detained by police despite having no involvement.
The FBI offered a $50,000 reward, but that money always comes with strings attached and usually takes months to be paid.
The first email claimed they tried to reach Guthrie’s brother Camaron and sister Annie by email and text, but were unsuccessful.
‘If they want the name of the individual involved then I want 1 Bitcoin to the following wallet. Time is more than relevant,’ it read.
Other details were omitted at the request of investigators.
Another clue was revealed early on Thursday morning, which may have prompted the second email.
Newly released footage showed a man scaling a wall while wearing a similar backpack to the one the man in the doorcam footage was seen with.
Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy, was taken from her $1 million home in the Catalina Hills neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, in the early morning hours of February 1
The unidentified bald man in a gray zip-down jacket and blue jeans took off one backpack while another remained on his back about 1.53am on February 1, the same day the 84-year-old was reported missing.
He then appeared to try to get on the other side of the stone wall, but after a couple of moments of difficulty, he walked away.
The man in the doorcam footage was wearing a black face mask, thick black latex gloves, and a black bookbag on his back.
Investigators discovered a lone black glove near Nancy’s $1 million home on Wednesday that resembled the one the masked man had on in the doorbell clip.
The Daily Mail understands the lone glove, found lying in a small shrub, was bagged up and taken by authorities.
Police did not give a definitive answer on who it belonged to.
Nancy was last seen on January 31 after returning home from dinner and a game night with her other daughter, Annie.
Her doorbell camera disconnected at 1.47am and her pacemaker stopped pairing with her phone and Apple watch at 2.28am.
This masked figure was seen on Nancy Guthrie’s doorstep on the morning of her disappearance
Another terrifying image caught the suspect staring right into the lens of the Nest doorbell camera as he removed it
She was reported missing the following day about 11am after her church friends grew worried when she didn’t show up to watch a livestream of a church service.
As the search for Nancy entered its 11th day on Thursday, a large white forensic tent was erected outside of Nancy’s home in the very same place the masked figure was seen lurking.
Four officers arrived at Guthrie’s home in an unmarked black vehicle around 8am Thursday, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Two officers in clothes were carrying a bag containing the tent, while the others brought in additional equipment.
The large tent, which blocked the entrance to Nancy’s home and the front porch where investigators previously found blood that matched her DNA, was taken down about an hour after being erected.
As of now, there is no further indication of exactly what officials were looking for. But forensic tents are typically erected when investigators want to conceal a body, weapon, or other critical pieces of evidence.
A large white forensic tent was erected outside of Nancy’s home in the very same place the masked figure was seen lurking
