Ransom Note States Nancy Guthrie Died Shortly After February Disappearance

A ransom note related to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie stated that the 84-year-old had died shortly after she was taken from her home in the foothills outside Tucson, Arizona, in early February. The note said those responsible did not intend to kill her. CNN reported the contents of one note on Monday, citing law enforcement sources.

A Tucson television station received two such notes after the disappearance. CNN and the station agreed to withhold the full contents to allow authentication of any future communications with the sender or senders. Authorities found blood near the front doorstep of Guthrie’s home.

The FBI released surveillance videos showing a masked man on the porch the night she vanished. Investigators have treated the case as an abduction. KOLD news director Jessica Bobula said Monday that the station received several notes and notified authorities.

The station has shared only information already released by the FBI, she said. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department declined to comment on the notes’ contents, and the FBI did not respond to a request for comment. The Guthrie family made no immediate public statements about the notes on Monday.

Volunteers and search teams scoured desert terrain near the home in the weeks after the disappearance. A volunteer group later searched for her body near the Arizona-Mexico border but did not locate her.