Savannah Guthrie and her siblings pleaded with their mother’s potential abductor in an Instagram video and said they will “pay”
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Savannah Guthrie with her siblings Annie and Camron ; Nancy Guthrie on May 4, 2015 in Sydney, Australia.Credit : Savannah Guthrie/Instagram ; Don Arnold/WireImage
Several alleged ransom notes have come to light amid the search for Savannah Guthrie’s mom, Nancy Guthrie.
An urgent search for Nancy led by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) was launched on Feb. 1, one day after the 84-year-old woman was last seen. In the following days, there were reports of alleged ransom notes being sent to media outlets, including local news station KOLD News 13 and TMZ.
On Feb. 7, Savannah and her siblings — Camron and Annie — posted an emotional video on Instagram in which they spoke directly to their mother’s alleged kidnappers, saying, “We will pay.”
Nancy has yet to be found and a suspect has not been named. On Feb. 10, authorities released new images and videos of an armed subject — wearing a hat over their face and gloves — who appeared to tamper with the camera on Nancy’s front door.
The FBI is urging anyone with tips or leads to call 1-800-CALL-FBI in addition to the Pima County Sheriff’s Office number, 520-351-4900.
Here’s everything to know about the alleged ransom notes in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance case.
The note allegedly included “concerning” and “very sensitive” information
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Savannah Guthrie and her mother, Nancy Guthrie, on the ‘Today’ set in 2023.Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty
KOLD anchor Mary Coleman appeared on CNN’s Erin Burnett Outfront on Feb. 4 and shared information about the alleged ransom note that was sent to the news station via email.
“There are a few things that we can share as far as what the contents were,” she said. “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.”
Coleman called the alleged note “concerning” and said she sent the information over to the sheriff’s department.
It was later revealed that the alleged note — which was sent on the evening of Feb. 2 — included a description of a damaged floodlight and the location of an Apple Watch left behind in her house.
The sheriff’s office and FBI became aware of a “new message” regarding Nancy that was sent to KOLD, as they announced on Feb. 6. However, investigators were trying to determine whether the message was sent from the same person or people who sent the first alleged ransom note.
There were several alleged deadlines
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Savannah Guthrie, Nancy Guthrie and Annie Guthrie.Savannah Guthrie/Instagram
The FBI has spoken about alleged ransom notes in several press conferences, including on Feb. 5 when FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke said whoever wrote the ransom note set a deadline of 5 p.m. that evening.
“If a transfer wasn’t made, the second demand was for next Monday. I’m not going to go beyond that,” he said at the time, adding that the ransom notes did not include proof of life or a way for authorities and the Guthrie family to communicate with the people who sent them.
The first note allegedly asked for millions of dollars
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Savannah Guthrie and her mother, Nancy Guthrie.Savannah Guthrie/Instagram
The first ransom email received by KOLD allegedly demanded $4 million in Bitcoin by Feb. 5 for Nancy’s safe return and $6 million by Feb. 9 if the initial demand was not met, multiple sources who are familiar with the situation told PEOPLE.
They said that the letter allegedly threatened severe consequences if the second deadline passed without payment.
During an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, TMZ’s founder Harvey Levin discussed the contents of the alleged email, saying that the letter begins by saying “she is safe but scared.”
Levin said that the “carefully crafted” message emphasized that their ransom demands for “millions of dollars” were nonnegotiable.
On the evening of Feb. 9, it remained unclear if any payment had been made. FBI Phoenix Spokesperson Connor Hagan shared a statement with PEOPLE, saying, “The FBI is not aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers.”
Savannah said she and her siblings “received” a message and “understand”
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Camron Guthrie, Savannah Guthrie and Annie Guthrie.Savannah Guthrie/Instagram
The existence of an alleged ransom note was acknowledged by Savannah, her brother Camron and sister Annie in an emotional Instagram video shared on Feb. 4, in which the siblings pleaded for their mother’s safe return.
“We, too, have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media,” Savannah said in the clip. “As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk.”
She added, “However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please, reach out to us.”
In a new video shared on Instagram on Feb. 7, Savannah held her siblings’ hands as they spoke to their mother’s potential abductor, saying, “We received your message and we understand.”
“We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her,” Savannah continued. “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”
An individual was arrested for an imposter ransom demand
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Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s Chris Nanos speaks to the media on Feb. 3, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz.Jan Sonnenmair/Getty
While a suspect has not been named in Nancy’s disappearance, an individual was arrested related to a false ransom note on the morning of Feb. 5. During a press conference that day, Agent Janke said that a complaint would be presented to a magistrate judge regarding an “imposter ransom demand.”
He urged members of the public to avoid taking advantage of the situation and noted that there would be consequences.
“My next message is to those imposters who are trying to take advantage and profit from this situation,” he said. “We will investigate and ensure you are held accountable for your actions.”
He also said they didn’t believe that the false ransom note had anything to do with Nancy’s case, and was rather a “total imposter” trying to “profit from it.”
In a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE, it named Derrick Callella as the defendant, citing two violations: one related to the intent to “transit a demand for ransom” and the second was for using a telecommunications device “without disclosing his identity and with intent to abuse, threaten, or harass any specific person.”
The complaint stated that Callella sent text messages to Annie and her husband, allegedly writing, “Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction.”
Per the complaint, he admitted to sending the texts, adding that he pulled the family’s information from a “cyber site” after “following along” with the case in the media.
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