An alleged ransom note demanding millions of dollars in Bitcoin has surfaced in the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie, as authorities continue to treat the case as a suspected abduction.
“We have called the sheriff’s department. We’ve made multiple calls and spoken with the detective unit,” TMZ founder and host Harvey Levin said during a segment of TMZ Live. “We have passed on this email. We don’t know whether this is legit or not.”
Guthrie was last seen on the evening of January 31 at her home in the Catalina Foothills area of Arizona.
TMZ’s Levin said that media outlets receiving these types of ransoms are not uncommon and “happen from time to time.”
Law enforcement has not confirmed whether they believe the ransom note is actually from the kidnappers or a hoax to steal Bitcoin.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment further when contacted by Decrypt, but pointed to a statement previously issued on social media.
While the authenticity of the ransom note has not been confirmed, TMZ executive producer and co-host Charles Latibeaudiere said the messaging included a real Bitcoin address.
“One thing we should say is that we have confirmed the Bitcoin address that they've included is legit,” he said. The note also included a description of what Guthrie was wearing at the time and a damaged item in the house, TMZ said.
Decrypt has reached out to TMZ to confirm the address's authenticity and will update this article should they respond. Representatives for Savannah Guthrie did not immediately respond to Decrypt's request for comment.
Bitcoin kidnappings and extortionThe use of Bitcoin in ransom demands dates back more than a decade, when early ransomware strains began demanding crypto payments to unlock encrypted files. The model later became widespread across cybercrime.
