Chilling Exact Language in Savannah Guthrie’s Mom’s Ransom Note Leaks as Host Misses 2nd Deadline to Pay Up
The case of the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mom, Nancy Guthrie, has been at the center of the news cycle for almost two weeks. And many questions have been raised since police confirmed Guthrie’s mom hadn’t just disappeared, but been kidnapped. Not many of those have been answered.
Now, TMZ founder Harvey Levin has shared information from an alleged ransom note his publication got. “I’ll read you one line from the ransom note we received,” Levin said on Monday, February 9, interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett after the ransom deadline had already passed. “They say, ‘It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible.’”
Related: Who are Savannah Guthrie’s siblings?
Levin had previously shared that the note described Nancy as “OK, but scared” and also that she was “aware of the letter and the demands” it contained.
“It felt like somebody means business. When you read it, it’s very detailed,” he said.
TMZ and local news stations in Tucson, Arizona, all reported receiving unverified ransom notes. FBI Phoenix special agent in charge Heith Janke confirmed on a press conference that there were two ransom deadlines, the first of which was 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 5. The second one was 5 p.m. on Monday, February 9. Reports had previously indicated that the kidnappers had demanded 6 million dollars.
Nancy Guthrie had dinner with her daughter Annie on Saturday, January 31, 2026, and is believed to have gone missing sometime after 9:30 p.m. on that same night. She was reported missing the next day. After she didn’t show up for church, her family checked in on her and arrived to find her phone, wallet, and keys at home, but no sign of her.
On Monday, the FBI said in a statement that they were “not aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers, nor have we identified a suspect or person of interest in this case at this time,” according to NBC News.
Nancy Guthrie and her late husband Charles shared three kids: Savannah, Annie, and Camron. Savannah Guthrie, better known for her role on the Today show, has been absent from her on-camera position since February 2. She and her siblings have posted multiple videos on Instagram, pleading with their mother’s potential abductors.
In one of those videos, Savannah stressed her mother’s fragile health as she pleaded for her to be safely returned. “She is 84 years old,” she said. “Her health, her heart is fragile. She lives in constant pain. She is without any medicine. She needs it to survive. She needs it not to suffer.”
On the latest video posted by Guthrie and her siblings, she said, “We believe that somehow, some way, [Nancy] is feeling these prayers and that God is lifting her even in this moment and in this darkest place,” Savannah continued. “We believe our mom is still out there.”
“We need your help. Law enforcement is working tirelessly around the clock, trying to bring her home, trying to find her. She was taken, and we don’t know where, and we need your help,” Savannah added. “So, I’m coming on just to ask you, not just for your prayers, but no matter where you are, even if you’re far from Tucson, if you see anything, you hear anything, if there’s anything at all that seems strange to you, that you report to law enforcement.”
Previously, the siblings had said they would pay. “We received your message and we understand,” a message posted on Saturday said. “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.”
There has been no confirmation that the ransom has indeed been paid.
