Ransom Note Claimed Nancy Guthrie Died After Kidnapping

A second ransom note in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, claimed she died shortly after being kidnapped, according to multiple law enforcement sources who spoke with CNN. The note, sent to CNN and a Tucson TV station in February after an earlier demand for millions of dollars, stated the kidnappers did not intend to kill her. Savannah Guthrie appeared in a video on Feb. 7 saying, "We received your message, and we understand," a response now linked to the second communication. At the request of investigators and the family, CNN and the local station delayed reporting the notes' contents so any future messages could be verified, and those contents had not been reported until now. The Tucson station, KOLD, confirmed it had also received the note claiming Guthrie was dead.

The new detail surfaced after TMZ founder Harvey Levin pushed back on reports he'd received a ransom letter apologizing to the Guthrie family for Nancy Guthrie's kidnapping and death; according to Levin, he did receive a note, but the letter he saw described Nancy Guthrie as "scared but OK." TMZ also reported Monday that it forwarded emails from someone who said they know the kidnappers and wanted $100,000 for information, and that the gossip site even offered to pay the money, but the FBI did not pay. It's not clear whether those emails are related to the two ransom notes received by CNN and KOLD, or even whether those two ransom notes are from the same person, though the FBI has previously said it believes they are. The Pima County Sheriff's Department says the probe into Guthrie's disappearance from her Arizona home nearly five months ago remains active.