Federal investigators in Arizona say they are conducting “an extensive search” near the Tucson home of Nancy Guthrie, as the family of the missing 84-year-old received a fresh ransom demand that claimed to offer the name of whoever is responsible for her disappearance in exchange for one Bitcoin.
The FBI’s Phoenix bureau and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department have been treating the case as a criminal investigation since Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on 1 February, after she failed to appear at a friend’s home and concerns mounted about her safety and medical needs. Authorities have said she has mobility issues and requires regular medication.
The latest development centres on a message received in the early hours of 11 February that was later passed to the FBI, according to reporting by multiple US outlets. The note, which investigators have not publicly authenticated, demanded a cryptocurrency payment and ended with the warning: “Time is more than relevant.”
In the reported message, the sender wrote: “If they want the name of the individual involved then I want 1 Bitcoin to the following wallet.” The demand marked a sharp shift from earlier communications linked to the case, which have referred to multi-million-dollar sums in cryptocurrency and included deadlines that have already passed.
The new note is the latest in a series of alleged ransom messages that have circulated since the search began, adding to an investigation that has included forensic work around Guthrie’s home and the release of surveillance imagery showing a masked figure near the property. The FBI has published still images and video from a doorbell camera that appear to show a person wearing gloves and a backpack approaching the front door and tampering with the device.
The case has drawn national attention in the United States because Nancy Guthrie is the mother of Savannah Guthrie, a longtime anchor on NBC’s Today programme. Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have used social media to appeal for information and to urge the public to contact law enforcement with any leads. In one family video referenced in reporting on the case, the siblings said: “We will pay.”
Investigators have repeatedly stressed that the authenticity of the alleged ransom notes is a key question, and that any information received from the public must be assessed and corroborated. The circulation of multiple messages has created uncertainty about whether they originated from the same person or people, or whether some could be hoaxes designed to exploit the case’s high profile.
Even so, law enforcement has acted on developments as they arise. On 11 February, The Guardian reported that the FBI announced it was conducting “an extensive search” along multiple roads in the Catalina Foothills area near Tucson, close to Nancy Guthrie’s home. The bureau urged drivers and members of the media “to remain especially cautious when passing law enforcement personnel near the roadways,” according to the same report.
The search activity came as authorities confirmed they had detained and questioned an individual during a traffic stop south of Tucson, before releasing him without charges. The man, who identified himself as Carlos Palazuelos in interviews cited by US media, insisted he had no involvement in the disappearance. “I hope they get the suspect, because I’m not it,” he said, according to The Guardian’s account of the reporting.
In a separate interview quoted by Entertainment Weekly, the same man said: “I hope they get the suspect, because I’m not it. They better do their job and find the suspect that did it so they can clear my name.” Entertainment Weekly also quoted him describing his detention and the fear he felt at the time. “I felt like I was being kidnapped, bro. They didn’t tell me anything,” he said.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has not publicly named a suspect in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance and has not confirmed whether the individual detained during the traffic stop was ever considered a suspect or simply a person of interest. The sheriff, Chris Nanos, has acknowledged frustration around the pace of obtaining and releasing imagery, telling the Associated Press in comments quoted by The Guardian: “I wish technology was as easy as we believe it is, that here’s a picture, here’s your bad guy. But it’s not.”
Authorities have also announced a reward as the search has entered its second week. The Guardian reported that the FBI publicised a reward of up to $50,000 for “information leading to the recovery of Nancy Guthrie and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance”.
The alleged ransom communications have played out alongside the physical search. Earlier notes linked to the case reportedly demanded the equivalent of $6 million in Bitcoin for her return. One of the issues facing investigators is determining whether the messages contain details only the perpetrator could know, or whether information may have been gleaned from public reporting or other sources.
People magazine, citing an appearance by a KOLD anchor on CNN, reported that the first alleged message sent to the Tucson television station contained material the anchor described as sensitive. “There are a few things that we can share as far as what the contents were,” the anchor said, according to People. “A lot of it is information that only someone who is holding her for ransom would know, some very sensitive information and things that people who were there when she was taken captive would know.”
The emergence of the one-Bitcoin demand has raised further questions about motive and credibility. While the message claimed that paying would reveal the name of the person responsible, law enforcement has not confirmed there is evidence connecting the author to Nancy Guthrie’s whereabouts or condition. Investigators have also not said whether there has been any direct proof of life provided to the family or authorities.
The family’s public appeals have continued as the search intensifies. In a video referenced by Entertainment Weekly, Savannah Guthrie urged the public to come forward, saying: “If you see anything, you hear anything, if there’s anything at all that seems strange to you, that you report to law enforcement. We are at an hour of desperation, and we need your help.”
For investigators, the stakes are heightened by the time that has passed since she was last seen, the uncertainty over her access to medication, and the possibility that the offender may have attempted to conceal evidence after removing her from her home.
The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department have asked anyone with information to contact law enforcement through official tip lines as the investigation continues.
