Since Feb. 1, when 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of well-known U.S. host Savannah Guthrie, was abducted from her home outside Tucson, Arizona, the case has seen continuous developments. Recently, a suspected ransom letter sent to TMZ drew public attention.
The New York Post reported on Monday, Feb. 16 that someone claiming to know Nancy Guthrie’s whereabouts sent TMZ an unverified letter. TMZ founder Harvey Levin said the letter stated: “I know what I saw five days ago south of the border, and someone told me to stay quiet, so I know who he is, and Nancy is definitely among those people.”
This cryptic message has been interpreted as three possible clues: Nancy may have been taken to Mexico, more than one person is involved, and the group has a leader—a detail previously mentioned by the sender in earlier letters. Monday’s letter is the fourth from the same sender, who claimed to be willing to exchange information about the kidnapping for payment.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is aware of the letters but has not verified their authenticity. Since the abduction, the sender has repeatedly taunted the Guthrie family, initially demanding millions in Bitcoin for her release, then later claiming only to know her location. Levin said he has handed all letters over to the FBI and warned that if it is a hoax, it would constitute a crime.
Trump: kidnappers could face death penalty if Guthrie not released alive
Meanwhile, President Trump told the New York Post in a Monday phone interview that the kidnappers must release Nancy unharmed, or they would face the severest federal penalties. He noted that if the mother of three is found dead, he would expect the Department of Justice to seek the death penalty.
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When asked if that meant requesting the death penalty, Trump responded, “The severest, yes, absolutely.”
Trump had called Savannah Guthrie on Feb. 4 to offer federal assistance. Last week, the FBI obtained chilling footage and video showing a masked man standing outside the residence. Investigators believe the victim may still be alive, and over the weekend conducted aerial searches in desert areas, using advanced Bluetooth technology to try to locate signals from her pacemaker.
In highly publicized cases, federal charges are common when interstate or federal laws are involved. While Arizona has the death penalty, many of its 109 death row inmates have been imprisoned for decades; since 2022, only two executions have been carried out, partly because the state had paused executions for nearly two years before resuming at the end of 2024. The federal government can also seek the death penalty separately, usually in notorious cases such as Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers, and racist killer Dylann Roof.
Former President Joe Biden commuted 37 of 40 federal death row inmates (excluding the three above) to life sentences, while Trump administration officials planned to transfer the remaining inmates to supermax federal prisons.
Former FBI negotiator: Savannah Guthrie video gives kidnappers a ‘dignified way out’
On the other hand, Savannah Guthrie has also publicly appealed to the kidnappers. CNN reported that former FBI hostage rescue and crisis negotiation expert Kyle Vowinkel said her choice of words was meant to provide the kidnappers a “psychologically safe way to back down.”
In an Instagram message, Savannah directly told the kidnappers: “It’s never too late. You are not lost or alone. It is never too late to do the right thing,” expressing faith in the goodness of people.
Vowinkel said this approach is intended to ease the kidnappers’ sense of isolation, allowing them to still provide the victim’s location even as the search enters its third week.
“She’s giving him a psychologically acceptable way to exit, evoking the little bit of humanity he still has, so he might call to reveal the location or release her mother somewhere,” he said.
The investigation is ongoing, and Nancy Guthrie’s whereabouts remain unconfirmed.
