Nearly eight months after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her home in the Catalina Foothills near Tucson, Arizona, authorities say they are reviewing a new possible ransom note connected to the case. On September 29, 2026, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department announced that the joint PCSD/FBI Guthrie Task Force had recently become aware of the communication and is working to determine whether it is credible. Officials also noted they are monitoring related comments circulating on social media.
No further details have been released about the possible note. Investigators have not disclosed when it was sent, who it was addressed to, or what it contains. The FBI has not issued a public statement on the development, and Savannah Guthrie, Nancy’s daughter and co-host of NBC’s Today show, has also remained silent on the matter so far.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on the evening of January 31, 2026, when family members dropped her off at her residence. She was reported missing the next day after she failed to attend church. Authorities have long believed she was taken from the home in the early hours of February 1, possibly from her bed.
Two earlier notes arrived at a local Tucson television station within days of her disappearance. The first, received on February 2, claimed she was “safe but scared” and demanded a payment of $4 million in Bitcoin, with the amount rising to $6 million if the initial ᴅᴇᴀᴅline was missed. The message warned that she would be killed if the money was not received and stated that her life was in her family’s hands. A second note, sent on February 6, took a markedly different tone. It said the senders had not fully understood the seriousness of her physical condition, claimed she had died shortly after being taken (believed to be heart-related), and stated that she had been “buried in nature.” The note included an apology and expressed hope that the family could find peace.
Those two messages were publicly released by authorities in late July in an effort to generate new leads. Investigators highlighted distinctive patterns of word choice and phrasing, hoping someone familiar with the writer might recognize the style. A forensic psychologist later suggested the two notes may have been written by different people — one more calculated in demanding payment, the other more emotional in tone. Despite the release, no arrests have been made.
The investigation remains active more than seven and a half months later. Detectives continue to examine large volumes of video footage, DNA evidence, and digital records. Earlier in the summer, neighbors reported seeing law-enforcement personnel searching the desert brush behind the home, activity some linked to the effects of monsoon rains that can shift terrain and potentially reveal previously hidden material. Sheriff Chris Nanos has consistently maintained that the case is not cold.
A combined reward of more than $1.1 million remains available, including $1 million offered by the Guthrie family and an additional sum from the FBI. Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, the Pima County tip line at 520-351-4900, or 88-CRIME. Tips can be submitted anonymously.
The appearance of a potential third note nearly eight months into the search highlights both the persistence of investigators and the continuing lack of resolution for a family still waiting for answers about what happened to Nancy Guthrie.
Sources : New York Post
