{"id":10554,"date":"2026-02-17T17:23:30","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T17:23:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/?p=10554"},"modified":"2026-02-17T17:23:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T17:23:30","slug":"two-new-ransom-notes-surface-in-nancy-guthrie-case-major-twist-in-the-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/?p=10554","title":{"rendered":"Two New Ransom Notes Surface in Nancy Guthrie Case \u2013 Major Twist in the Investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The disappearance of Nancy Guthrie has taken another unexpected turn. Two new emails demanding cryptocurrency have now surfaced, adding fresh questions to an already complex case.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n
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Just when the case seemed to stall, two cryptic emails landed in TMZ\u2019s inbox, each more unsettling than the last. They each hinted at secrets, fear, and a desperate plea for cold, hard cryptocurrency.<\/p>\n

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\"Nancy<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Nancy Guthrie smiling in a photo, posted on May 12, 2024. | Source: Facebook\/Savannah Guthrie<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A Brazen Bitcoin Demand Raises Alarms<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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TMZ reported that it\u00a0received an email<\/a>\u00a0on Wednesday, February 12, from a person claiming to know the identity of Nancy\u2019s alleged kidnapper. The sender demanded one bitcoin in exchange for the name \u2014 a staggering sum currently valued at about $65,000.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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According to the outlet, the digital wallet listed in the message was monitored throughout the day, but no funds were deposited. The account sat untouched, the demand unmet, as questions swirled about whether the sender truly possessed inside information \u2014 or was exploiting a family\u2019s nightmare.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But the story did not end there. Just after 8 a.m. PT on Thursday, the outlet said it received a second email from the same individual. In that message, the sender\u00a0wrote<\/a>\u00a0that he was \u201cnot being taken seriously.\u201d The tone, according to the outlet, had shifted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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TMZ stated that the email contained additional statements it described as ominous, but said it is withholding specific details while cooperating with law enforcement. Whatever was written was serious enough for the outlet to keep it under wraps \u2014 a decision that only deepens the sense of dread surrounding the case.<\/p>\n

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The sender indicated that circumstances had changed between Wednesday and Thursday. He\u00a0claimed<\/a>\u00a0he would need the money to \u201clay low\u201d after revealing the alleged kidnapper\u2019s identity, citing concerns about possible retaliation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Then came a striking reference to a previous development in the case. The sender also mentioned the delivery driver who was previously detained and released,\u00a0saying<\/a>\u00a0he feared being \u201cincriminated like that Carlos guy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It was a pointed remark \u2014 one that appeared to draw a direct line to earlier investigative missteps and heightened anxieties about wrongful suspicion. The message concluded with what the sender described as his final attempt to help. As of the time of this publication, no bitcoin or money has been transferred to the account referenced in the emails.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We previously reported that<\/strong>\u00a0the sender decided\u00a0to contact TMZ after claiming they had tried and failed to reach Nancy\u2019s devastated children, Camron and Annie, by email and text.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While the note included a valid Bitcoin address, it was not the same wallet address listed in the original ransom notes previously sent to TMZ and two Tucson television stations. TMZ said it immediately forwarded the new message to the FBI.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Armed Figure, Detained Driver \u2013 And More Questions than Answers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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The new development\u00a0comes less than 48 hours after a cascade of\u00a0dramatic updates<\/strong>\u00a0in the case. On Tuesday, the FBI released the\u00a0first haunting images<\/strong>\u00a0of an armed individual who appeared outside Nancy\u2019s home in the early hours of February 1 \u2014 the same day she was taken.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Later that night, authorities detained a person of interest described as a delivery driver in a Tucson suburb. After questioning, he was released. He told reporters he did not know Nancy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The latest notes also follow earlier reports that a separate ransom message had been sent to a local Arizona news station \u2014 another thread in a web of uncertainty that seems to grow more\u00a0tangled by the hour.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The First Ransom Note and a Sheriff\u2019s Stark Words<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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On February 3, it was first revealed that\u00a0a ransom note\u00a0had been delivered to a Tucson television outlet in the days after Nancy vanished. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told CBS News that the station received the message on Monday and initially agreed not to report on it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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According to Chris, the note included specific details about Nancy\u2019s home and what she was wearing the night she disappeared \u2014 chilling information that raised immediate alarm. He did not confirm whether those details were accurate or whether the note\u00a0itself was authentic<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Pima<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Pima County Sheriff, Chris Nanos | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s like any piece of evidence,\u201d Chris\u00a0said<\/a>. \u201cYou give it to us, you give us a lead, we\u2019re going to look at every aspect of that lead.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While the sheriff declined to identify the station, CBS affiliate KOLD-TV later reported that it had received an email appearing to be one of the alleged ransom notes and had forwarded it directly to the sheriff\u2019s office. Investigators analyzed the message and confirmed they were treating it seriously.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Sheriff<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Sheriff Chris Nanos addresses reporters as investigators provide updates on the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie in Tucson, on February 3, 2026 | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Deadlines, Doubt, and a Race Against the Clock<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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At the time, FBI Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke revealed that\u00a0the ransom letter<\/a>\u00a0included two deadlines \u2014 the first set for 5 p.m. that same day, and a second listed for Monday, February 8. Authorities did not specify a time zone for either deadline.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIn a normal kidnapping case, there would be contact by now, trying to discuss that,\u201d Heith\u00a0said<\/a>. His words only heightened the anxiety surrounding Nancy\u2019s fate. As the investigation intensified, troubling questions emerged about how authorities managed to obtain the first images of a masked man spotted outside\u00a0Nancy Guthrie\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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