Nancy Guthrie’s alleged kidnappers are demanding $6 million, it was revealed over the weekend as cops searched a septic tank on her property — and a deadline to deliver the cash by 5 p.m. Monday loomed.
“Multiple ransom notes have been sent out to the media, including one that was sent to us,” said reporter JJ McKinney, whose Arizona outlet KGUN9 was one of three to receive the purported ransom note.
“In the letter, the potential kidnappers demanded that the Guthries pay them $6 million before this Monday,” McKinney said Sunday.
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have publicly stated they will pay the ransom for their missing mother Nancy.Savannah Guthrie/ Instagram
That was the first time the staggering sum demanded for the 84-year-old’s return was revealed since her ransom note emerged days after she went missing from her Tucson home Jan. 31.
The supposed ransomers demanded payment in bitcoin and provided two deadlines in their missive: One warning they wanted $4 million by 5 p.m. local time last Thursday, and another saying that if that line in the sand was missed, they then needed $6 million by the same time Monday — or else.
The note said the elderly grandmother’s life would be in peril if the funds did not arrive by the Monday deadline, KGUN9 reported.
Law enforcement still has not verified whether the note is real.
No proof that Nancy is alive or that the authors have her has been provided, but details from inside her house were included in the note.
Authorities have said that because they have so little else to go on, they have been compelled to take it as seriously as if it were real.
That’s prompted Nancy’s children — celebrity “Today” show TV host Savannah Guthrie and her siblings Annie and Camron — to finally give in and issue a video statement Saturday saying they were ready to pay.
“We received your message, and we understand,” a despondent Savannah said in the video. “We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her.
“This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay,” she said.
The ransom note demands the Guthrie family pay $6 million in bitcoin by Monday at 5 p.m. MT.savannahguthrie/Instagram
But some experts remain wary of the ransom note, which specified that the payment be made in the equivalent of US dollars, which some said could indicate the sender was not in America — and could be someone trying to scam the Guthries out of millions as they search for their mother.
“If you’re domestic, why would you ever put ‘USD?’ You put six million,” former FBI agent Michael Harrigan told The Post.
“Why would you use that if you’re a domestic person? That points to somebody who might be potentially outside the country,” said Harrigan, who oversaw the FBI National Academy during his extensive career.
That small detail “lends the potential for this being a scam,” he said.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
No other communications from the supposed kidnappers have emerged besides those notes, and investigators pressed on into the eighth day of searching as the deadline approached.
Police were spotted at Nancy’s home Sunday afternoon searching a septic tank behind the house.
Two officers were seen probing the buried tank with a long pole, but eventually left empty-handed.
It remains unclear what they were looking for or whether that tank had been searched before.
The night before, police were seen taking photos inside the Tucson home of Nancy’s daughter and son-in-law, Annie Tommaso Cioni.
The pair were among the last people to see Nancy alive, with Cioni dropping her off at her home on Jan. 31 around 9:45 p.m. after the three of them spent the evening having dinner together.
Cioni was claimed to be a suspect in some unconfirmed news reports last week, though that was later disputed by others.
But police refused to rule Cioni out when asked directly about him at a press conference last week, with Pima County Sheriff Chris Nano insisting everybody in Nancy’s orbit was being looked at.
“We’re actively looking at everybody we come across in this case, we would be irresponsible if we didn’t talk to everybody,” Nanos said.
“Everybody’s still a suspect in our eyes,” he added. “The family’s been very cooperative; they’ve done everything we’ve asked of them.”
News
“I AM MADELEINE.” — A young German woman has stunned the world by unexpectedly declaring live on air that she is Madeleine McCann.
“I AM MADELEINE.” — A young German woman has stunned the world by unexpectedly declaring live on air that she is Madeleine McCann. The emotional moment and the memories she shared immediately went viral, reigniting the global debate surrounding the mysterious disappearance that has lasted for years. Many believe this could be a shocking turning […]
“NO ONE MORE CENT!” — Charles III is rumored to have delivered a “fatal blow,” completely cutting off royal funding for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry…
“NO ONE MORE CENT!” — Charles III is rumored to have delivered a “fatal blow,” completely cutting off royal funding for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. According to rapidly spreading rumors, the King is said to have ordered an end to all financial privileges related to the Sovereign Grant — a move dubbed a “TOTAL […]
In the corner, Jed – the man she had to call father – trembled, clutching his old hunting rifle. The trailer door rattled violently under the pounding from outside…
“She’s Deaf—Take Her!” The Drunk Father Shouted, But Mountain Man Whispered, “I Know You Can Hear…” The Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee in late November presented a bleak and harsh beauty. Thick, dark clouds hung low over the pine trees, bringing with them gusts of biting, bone-chilling wind. Inside the dilapidated trailer, the stench of […]
Behind the wheel sat Liam Hayes. At twenty-eight, he had just completed the sale of his tech startup to a Silicon Valley giant for thirty million dollars.
HE CAME HOME A MILLIONAIRE TO SURPRISE HIS FAMILY… THEN HE SAW TWO “HOMELESS” PEOPLE IN THE RAIN OUTSIDE HIS HOUSE A cold, gray November rain poured down on Willow Creek, Pennsylvania. But inside the cockpit of his new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, everything was warm and perfect. The scent of genuine leather mingled with the fragrance […]
“THEY TURN THE MUR-D;ER..E;R INTO A VI;CTI;;M?” — A PARENT’S LETTERS CAUSE OUTRAGE, THE FAMILIES OF TWO VI….CTI–MS “ERASED” FROM TRA-GED-Y
🚨 “THEY TURN THE MURDERER INTO A VICTIM?” — A PARENT’S LETTERS CAUSE OUTRAGE, THE FAMILIES OF TWO VICTIMS “ERASED” FROM TRAGEDY The letter to the judge is being heavily criticized for focusing solely on the “pain” of the suspect’s parents, instead of the irreparable loss suffered by the victims. Many believe this is proof […]
“Caleb… Caleb…” She could only call his name amidst her sobs, burying her face in the crook of his neck. The wounds on her body seemed to no longer hurt.
Three Years of Beatings and Abuse — Until a Mountain Man Walked Through the Door… The Bitterroot Mountains in Montana never showed mercy to anyone, especially on those stormy December nights. The wind howled through the dark pine trees, lashing against the reinforced glass walls of the secluded wooden mansion. Inside, the air was even […]
End of content
No more pages to load
