Activity was detected in a bitcoin account mentioned in ransom notes allegedly connected to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, multiple outlets report.
TMZ and local Tucson, Arizona, news outlet KGUN 9, both of which received ransom notes following Nancy’s February 1 disappearance, reported noticing activity in the account on Tuesday, February 10.
KGUN said the activity was less than $300, while TMZ founder Harvey Levin told CNN’s Erin Burnett in a Tuesday interview that the activity was money going into the account.
Us Weekly has reached out to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI for comment.
Savannah Guthrie Shares New Statement on Mom Nancy Before Ransom Deadline
Nancy, 84, the mother of Today show cohost Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing from her home outside of Tucson on February 1. She was last seen on January 31. Local police and the FBI are investigating her disappearance as a kidnapping.
TMZ and local Tucson news outlets KGUN 9 and KOLD reported last week receiving unverified ransom notes related to Nancy’s disappearance. KGUN 9 reported that the potential kidnappers demanded $6 million for Nancy’s return.
On Thursday, February 5, the FBI confirmed two ransom deadlines mentioned in the alleged notes, the first of which was 5 p.m. local time on Thursday and the second set for Monday, February 9, also at 5 p.m.
As of Monday, FBI officials told NBC News 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.”
TMZ Founder Shares Chilling Line From Alleged Nancy Guthrie Ransom Note
Today show star Savannah, 54, and her siblings, Annie and Camron Guthrie, said in a Saturday, February 7, video shared via Instagram that they were prepared to pay a ransom. The video was shared after KOLD reported that it had received a second ransom message.
“We received your message and we understand,” Savannah said in the video. “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.”
Levin, 75, has shared details about the first ransom note, received by TMZ, during various appearances on CNN’s Erin Burnett OutFront program.
“I’ll read you one line from the ransom note we received,” Levin shared on Monday, after the second ransom deadline passed. “They say, ‘It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible.’”
Breaking Down Savannah Guthrie’s Mom Nancy’s Plans Before She Went Missing
In a Friday, February 6, interview with Burnett, Levin said the note received by TMZ described Nancy as “OK, but scared” and said she was “aware of the letter and the demands” contained within it.
“It felt like somebody means business. When you read it, it’s very detailed,” he said.
On Tuesday, FBI Director Kash Patel released the first photos and surveillance footage of a potential suspect in Nancy’s disappearance. The images were taken from a Nest doorbell camera outside of Nancy’s home in the early hours of February 1. They show a figure clad in a ski mask appearing to tamper with the camera. The person appeared to have a gun holstered in their waistband.
“New images in the search for Nancy Guthrie,” Patel said. “Over the last eight days, the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department have been working closely with our private sector partners to continue to recover any images or video footage from Nancy Guthrie’s home that may have been lost, corrupted, or inaccessible due to a variety of factors – including the removal of recording devices. The video was recovered from residual data located in backend systems.”
“Working with our partners – as of this morning, law enforcement has uncovered these previously inaccessible new images showing an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance,” he wrote. “Anyone with information, please contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit http://tips.fbi.gov.”
Also on Tuesday, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department detained and then released a person of interest in the case. The man, who subsequently identified himself only as Carlos in press interviews, denied any involvement in the disappearance.
