Finally Confirmation on if Savannah Guthrie’s Mom’s Ransom Has Been Paid After Abductors Claimed It Was in ‘Everyone’s Best Interest’ to Pay ASAP
Jason Pham
The second deadline has passed to pay the ransom for Savannah Guthrie’s missing mom, Nancy Guthrie. But with no update from the family or law enforcement officials, supporters are left in the dark in terms of whether the ransom has been paid and if Nancy is finally coming home, 10 days after her nightmare began.
Nancy was abducted from her home in Catalina Foothills, Arizona, in the middle of the night on Sunday, February 1. News broke of an alleged ransom note days later, with Nancy’s apparent abductors demanding $4 million in bitcoin by 5 p.m. local time on Thursday, February 5. If their demand were not met, then the amount would increase to $6 million by 5 p.m. local time on Monday, February 9, according to People. In an interview with CNN, TMZ founder Harvey Levin, who received a copy of the ransom note, confirmed what it said. “I’ll read you one line from the ransom note we received,” he said. “They say, ‘It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible.’”
Did Savannah Guthrie pay the ransom for her mom Nancy Guthrie?
As of writing, Savannah’s family has not paid the ransom for Nancy, as the alleged public Bitcoin account set up for Nancy’s ransom currently stands at $0 with no transactions recorded. Two days before the second ransom note deadline, Savannah posted a social media video with her sister, Annie Guthrie, and brother, Camron Guthrie, in which she confirmed that the family will pay as long as they receive confirmation that they’ll get their mother in return.
“We received your message, and we understand,” Savannah read from a piece of paper in the video, which was posted on February 7. “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.” She continued, “This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.” She captioned the post, “Bring her home.”
Jason Pack, a retired FBI special agent a crisis negotiator, told The Daily Mail in a report published on February 7 that he believed the word “celebrate” was used to not threaten Nancy’s captors so that she can be released safely. “The word ‘celebrate’ stood out to me immediately. Savannah didn’t say ‘surrender her’ or ‘give her back,’” Pack said. ” She said return her so we can ‘celebrate’. That’s the language of resolution, not confrontation.” He continued, “In any negotiation, you want to offer the other party a way to see this ending positively and peacefully for them too.”
He added, “The most dangerous moments come when communication breaks down. The Guthries are doing everything they can to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
What’s Savannah Guthrie’s net worth?
Savannah is worth $40 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, about six times as much as what Nancy’s ransom note demands. In addition to her career, Savannah also has multiple real estate properties. She and her husband, Michael Feldman, purchased a $3.5 million condo in Tribeca in 2012, as well as a $7.114 million apartment in 2017 that they listed for around the same price in 2023. The couple also own a $2.7 million in the Catskills.
As for her salary as a host on the Today show, TMZ reported in 2018 that Savannah and her Today co-host at the time, Hoda Kotb, were both earning $7 million per year to anchor the show. Page Six reported in 2020 that Savannah used her viral appearance as a moderator at a town hall with Donald Trump to negotiate a raise at Today. “Savannah’s new deal will be significantly more than $8 million a year, taking into consideration inflation, [Matt] Lauer’s old deal, and her popularity,” a source told the outlet at the time.
