Earlier this afternoon, both the Pima County Sheriff's Office in Arizona and the FBI held a press conference to update us on Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of "Today" host Savannah Guthrie, who went missing from her Arizona home over the weekend. Police believe Guthrie was taken from the home sometime late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, and called the home a "crime scene" with reported signs of forced entry.
The conference itself was light on additional details, and when Sheriff Chris Nanos was asked if police or the Guthrie family had received a ransom note, Nanos said they were following all leads.
Now TMZ is reporting that they received, via email, an unverified ransom note for Nancy Guthrie. They said they have contacted law enforcement.
🚨 TMZ received an unverified ransom note today demanding a substantial amount for the return of "Today" anchor Savannah Guthrie's missing mother, Nancy. We have since contacted law enforcement.
— TMZ (@TMZ) February 3, 2026
STORY DEVELOPING. pic.twitter.com/VUqZx3K5Fj
Hosts Harvey Levin, joined by Charles Latibeaudiere, posted a video to X to discuss the note.
"We got something in our email that looks like...it's written like a ransom note, for Savannah Guthrie's mother," Levin said.
"Specific requests for a certain amount of money, bitcoin," Latibeaudiere added. They note the amount of bitcoin demanded was in the "millions."
Alleged ransom note for Nancy Guthrie kidnapping demands millions in Bitcoin.
— TMZ (@TMZ) February 3, 2026
Details: https://t.co/dyhWFrcViu pic.twitter.com/3S62nYJ6i0
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"And also they say at the bottom, there are certain things they're saying about what she was wearing and damage to the house...it's us," Levin continued.
"Clearly saying to verify that we know what we're talking about here," Latibeaudiere said about the note.
"We've contacted the Sheriff's Department, and we want to get them this letter, and we had a little trouble getting through to the right person, but the person we spoke with has now forwarded this to somebody in the detective bureau," Levin said.
The note, which was sent to us Tuesday morning, demands a specific substantial amount of Bitcoin ... the amount is in the millions, and the note demands the cryptocurrency be sent to a specific Bitcoin address.
— TMZ (@TMZ) February 3, 2026
Details: https://t.co/KkEVHKVD69
Another scary twist in the disappearance of "TODAY" host Savannah Guthrie's kidnapped mother ... TMZ has received an alleged ransom note demanding payment for the release of Nancy Guthrie.
The note, which was sent to us Tuesday morning, demands a specific substantial amount of Bitcoin ... the amount is in the millions, and the note demands the cryptocurrency be sent to a specific Bitcoin address.
TMZ has verified the Bitcoin address is real.
There is a deadline connected to the alleged ransom ... and an element of "or else."
In the moment on our live stream above, Harvey and Charles said she was wearing an item mentioned in the note. In fact, the note says she was not wearing it.
The note has not been verified by law enforcement, and the Pima County Sheriff's Office has not yet commented on this latest development. We will keep you updated.
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