Police investigating ‘new possible ransom note’ in Nancy Guthrie case

Arizona police are looking into the possibility of a new ransom note linked to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, nearly eight months after she went missing from her home.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said that it is working with the FBI Guthrie Task Force following “a new possible ransom note related to the Nancy Guthrie investigation.”

“Investigators are also aware of social media comments regarding the note and are looking further into the information to determine its credibility,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a statement.

Authorities previously released two ransom notes initially sent to a Tucson television station days after the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie went missing on Feb. 1 from her home outside Tucson.

The first note, sent Feb. 2, said Guthrie was safe but scared and would be released unharmed once her captors received US$4 million in cryptocurrency. The second note, sent Feb. 6, said Guthrie died shortly after she was kidnapped.

In July, a 42-year-old California man pleaded guilty to sending a fake ransom note to the family of Guthrie following her disappearance.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, announced that Derrick Callella, 42, of Hawthorne, Calif., pleaded guilty to two counts of harassment using a telecommunication device.

In Callella’s plea, he admitted that he called and sent text messages to a missing person’s family on Feb. 4, 2026, asking about a bitcoin transfer, according to the news release.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that Callella acknowledged that he knew an earlier ransom demand had been made.

Callella also admitted that his actions were meant to harass the family by seeking information about the investigation into Guthrie’s missing person’s disappearance.

Last month, Callella was sentenced to two five-year probation terms, to be served concurrently. He was also ordered to pay a $200 special assessment and report to the probation office within 72 hours of sentencing, according to NBC affiliate KPNX.

Authorities believe Guthrie was kidnapped on Feb. 1 and they found blood near the front doorstep of her home just outside Tucson.

The FBI later released surveillance videos showing a masked man on the porch that night.

No suspects have been arrested in her disappearance.

Guthrie’s family has shared their pleas for information in videos posted to social media.

In late July, Savannah issued a new plea asking for help to find her mother.

In a video shared to Instagram, Savannah appeared to be speaking to her mother’s alleged abductor, asking them to “do the right thing” and “tell us where to look for her.”

“I’m coming on today with a very specific message. It has been months since our mom was taken from us. Our family is in agony. We are in a nightmare that will not end. Nothing about our situation has changed,” Savannah began. “We have done our part. But we will never stop looking for her. We will always ache for her and feel that hole in our hearts.”

Savannah said the world can be “a cruel and unforgiving place.”

“I know that you have tried to do things the right way,” she said, appearing to address the person who allegedly kidnapped her mother. “So I am asking you — begging you — to do the right thing now. Make the right choice. Help us find her. Tell us where to look for her. I truly believe it is never too late to do the right thing. Help us bring this situation to an end.”

“For all of us, no matter where we’ve been and what we’ve done, I believe there is always a way home,” she continued. “Please make the right choice.”