Overview
- Investigators with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI Guthrie Task Force said they were recently made aware of a possible ransom note and began assessing its credibility on Sept. 28.
- Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen Jan. 31 and reported missing Feb. 1 from her Catalina Foothills home, and authorities have long said they believe she was taken against her will.
- Police previously released two ransom communications in July — a Feb. 2 bitcoin demand saying Guthrie was “safe but scared” and a Feb. 6 note claiming she had died — and have treated some later messages as likely extortion.
- The FBI has shared surveillance video showing a masked person tampering with Guthrie’s front‑door camera and investigators continue to analyze DNA and video evidence with no arrests to date.
- The case has drawn wide public attention and unverified social media claims, including a report by a true‑crime creator about a bitcoin demand mentioning Mexico, and officials warn the public not to send money or treat online tips as confirmed information.