FBI Agent Finds ‘Atypical’ Detail in Nancy Guthrie Ransom Note

A former FBI hostage negotiator says one chilling line in the alleged ransom note tied to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie immediately set off alarms.

Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, vanished from her Tucson, Arizona, home in the early hours of Feb. 1, and nearly six months later, the mystery surrounding her disappearance remains deeply unsettling. Authorities believe Nancy was kidnapped by a masked man captured on her door camera, after she was last seen by family the day before.

Despite an intensive search, public pleas, and multiple reported notes connected to the case, investigators have still not publicly confirmed what happened to her.

True crime journalist Briana Whitney recently shared two notes she said were connected to Guthrie’s disappearance on the Crime Junkie podcast. People magazine and The Daily Beast both reported that they were unable to authenticate the messages with law enforcement officials, leaving the documents in a murky and troubling category.

But one alleged ransom note was disturbing enough to catch the attention of Jason Pack, a retired FBI hostage negotiator who said the wording did not sound like a typical kidnap-for-ransom demand.

“It is in the best interest of everyone to have this [ransom] completed as soon as possible,” one of the notes stated, according to Whitney. “You will not be able to contact me from here on out, there will be no negotiation.”

For Pack, that final line was the problem.

“Genuine kidnap-for-ransom actors almost always want to preserve the communication channel, because they need it to actually collect payment,” Pack told People. “A note that says, ‘You will not be able to contact me from here on out’ and ‘there will be no negotiation’ is working against the extortionist’s own interest if the goal is really money. That’s atypical.”

In other words, if the person behind the note truly wanted cash, cutting off all contact would make little sense. A ransom demand usually depends on continued communication, negotiation, proof of life, payment instructions, and some way to complete the exchange.

Instead, Pack suggested the note may have been written to terrorize the family rather than manage an actual ransom payment.

“It reads more like someone who wants control, fear, and finality, not someone managing a payment exchange,” he explained. “This is one of the reasons trained negotiators get skeptical fast when a note eliminates dialogue instead of protecting it.”

The alleged note, as described by Whitney, was addressed directly to Savannah Guthrie and claimed her mother was being held for ransom.

“Hello, Savannah. We have your mother, Nancy. She will be held for ransom, and once payment is received, she will be released unharmed,” the note reportedly said. “If the payment is not received by the last deadline… she will be killed. Your mother is aware of this, and her life is in your hands… You will not be able to contact me from here on out… Do not play games. Law enforcement will not be able to help you.”

That grim warning added another cruel layer to a case that has already left Guthrie’s family desperate for answers.

A second note Whitney claimed was connected to the disappearance allegedly said Nancy had died. According to Whitney, the message stated that Guthrie “perished shortly after she was taken” and suggested her death was believed to have been “heart-related.”

Nancy’s family previously revealed that she had health issues and did not have her medication with her when she disappeared, raising urgent concerns about her condition from the beginning.

For now, the case remains unresolved. The reported notes have not been publicly authenticated by authorities, Nancy Guthrie has not been found, and the family of one of America’s most recognizable morning television hosts remains trapped in an agonizing search for the truth.