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The individuals who claim to have kidnapped Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of TODAY Show anchor Savannah Guthrie, are reportedly demanding $6 million in Bitcoin in their ransom note, according to multimedia journalist JJ McKinney of Tucson ABC affiliate KGUN9.
“Multiple ransom notes have been sent out to the media, including one that was sent to us,” McKinney said. “In the letter, the potential kidnappers demanded that the Guthries pay them $6 million before this Monday.”
The ransom note writers claimed that Guthrie's life was in peril if they don't receive the payment by the deadline of 5:00 p.m. local time on Monday (February 9). Savannah Guthrie said she and her family "will pay" her mother's abductors in a video shared on Saturday (February 7).
“We received your message and we understand,” Savannah Guthrie said, while holding hands with her brother, Camron, and sister, Annie in the video shared to her Instagram account. “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 concluded.
Guthrie didn't provide specifics about the message her family received regarding her mother's status. At least three news outlets confirmed that they received a possible ransom note in connection with Nancy Guthrie's disappearance, according to NBC News, which confirmed it had reviewed a copy of the note, though no law enforcement agency hadn't substantiated it as of Saturday night.
The FBI and Pima County Sheriff's Department had previously said they were aware of a new message regarding Guthrie's disappearance and officials were working to confirm its authenticity. The Guthrie family had previously urged their mother's potential kidnappers to reach out and prove they have her.
"Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you," said Camron Guthrie said in a video shared on Savannah's Instagram account. "We haven't heard anything directly. We need you to reach out and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward."
"We have to know that you have our mom," he continued.
"We want to talk to you, and we are waiting for contact," Camron concluded.
No suspect or person of interest has been identified in the case, according to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who said "we believe Nancy is still out there" during a press briefing on Thursday (February 5) via ABC News. The FBI is now jointly investigating the case with local Arizona officials and offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Nancy's recovery or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.
A ransom note sent to TMZ claims that Nancy is "safe but scared" and aware of the demands made for her return, the outlet's founder Harvey Levin told FOX News' Sean Hannity Thursday night.
“I will say the letter begins by saying she is safe but scared, and they go on to say she knows exactly what the demand is," Levin said of the note, which demanded millions in bitcoin in order for "consequential" repercussions to be avoided.
“They are, through us, telling the family exactly what they are demanding, and they are saying that Nancy is aware of it,” he added. “They are also saying… that this will be their only communication and they are done communicating and negotiating —here’s the deal and that’s it.”
“As the clock ticks, that’s one of the reasons the FBI and other authorities have gotten desperate here,” Levin added.
A California man was identified as the man charged after sending separate phony ransom texts to Guthrie's family regarding her missing 84-year-old mother Nancy, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday, FOX News' Michael Ruiz reports. Derrick Callela messaged Nancy's daughter, Annie, and her husband, Tommaso Cioni with false information about the missing woman's whereabouts.
“Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction,” Callela allegedly wrote to the couple.
Data obtained by authorities approximately three minutes later showed Callela also made a nine-second-long call to an unidentified member of the Guthrie family.
The arrest was made prior to authorities confirming that Nancy was still believed to be missing and hours after Savannah and her siblings made an earlier plea for their mother to be returned safely.
“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,“ Savannah said, along with her two siblings.
The Guthries’ initial plea came hours after Nanos told the New York Times that Cioni was the last person to see Nancy, having made sure she got inside her home safely after having dinner with the couple on January 31.
Nancy was reported to have vanished at some point between the dropoff at 9:45 p.m. local time last Sunday (February 1) morning as friends became concerned that she was absent from church.
Nanos said that Guthrie's family has cooperated with investigators in the four days since Nancy's disappearance, which authorities are considering a crime though no suspects have been named. Savannah Guthrie previously issued a new statement asking fans to "please pray" amid her mother’s disappearance.
Blood was reportedly found alongside signs of forced entry at Nancy Guthrie's Catalina Hills home, law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times, though it hasn't been confirmed who the blood belonged to.
“At this point, investigators believe she was taken from the home against her will, possibly [in the] middle of the night,” Pima County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Kevin Adger said. “Detectives are looking into a possible kidnapping or abduction.”
DNA evidence found at Guthrie's home is also reportedly being inspected, KVOA reports. The 84-year-old reportedly left her car and cellphone at the scene and data from the device could provide more details on when she was taken, ABC News reports.