Ransom mystery deepens as odd writing habits may expose kidnapper behind Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance

Two messages connected to the suspected kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie may contain distinctive writing habits that could help investigators identify whoever authored them, according to retired Colorado investigator Lisa Miller, as reported by Fox News.

Guthrie, 84, is the mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie. She was reportedly taken from her home in northern Tucson, Arizona, in the early hours of Feb. 1 after a masked person was captured on doorbell camera footage approaching her property.

Her whereabouts remain unknown.


The Pima County Sheriff's Department released two messages in July, hoping members of the public might recognize the unusual language and writing patterns. Fox News reported that investigators have not publicly confirmed the authenticity of the notes.

One writing habit stands out

Miller told Fox News that the two messages appear to share several grammatical characteristics, with one feature particularly catching her attention: repeated comma splices.

A comma splice occurs when two independent sentences are joined with a comma instead of being separated by a period or another appropriate punctuation mark.

According to Miller, the same pattern appears in both messages, potentially indicating that they came from one author.

She said the consistency between the notes could give investigators something concrete to ask people about if they recognize the writing style of someone they know.

Unusual words and spelling could matter

The punctuation is only one part of what Miller believes could form a recognizable linguistic fingerprint.

Fox News reported that Miller also pointed to several unusual compound-word choices. Among them were “heart related” written as separate words, “smartwatch” written as two words and “floodlight” also appearing as separate words.

Individually, such choices may mean little. But Miller said the repetition of these habits across the messages could make them more significant when examined together.

She urged members of the public who have seen the notes to think about whether anyone in their social or professional circles uses similar expressions or writes in a comparable way.

Could the language reveal the sender?

Miller described the writing as an example of an individual's idiolect — their personal way of communicating, shaped by factors such as where they grew up, the communities they lived in and the language or slang they adopted.

Some of the wording in the messages may therefore reflect the writer's background rather than an attempt to deliberately disguise their identity.

Miller specifically highlighted the use of the word “perished” instead of the more common “died,” as well as the phrase “buried in nature.”

She suggested that such expressions could potentially be influenced by the writer's upbringing, beliefs or reading habits, although there is no public evidence establishing why those particular words were chosen.

Investigator says notes do not read like AI

Another detail Miller discussed was whether the messages could have been produced using artificial intelligence.

She told Fox News that she does not believe AI was responsible for creating the notes, pointing to a typo and sentence structures that she said lack the polished, uniform flow often associated with AI-generated writing.

Instead, she believes the imperfections could provide investigators with more clues about the writer's natural communication style.

That distinction could become important if detectives receive information from someone who recognizes the same unusual habits in emails, letters or other written communication.

Ransom details may offer more clues

Miller also highlighted the way financial information was presented in the messages.

The writer reportedly used both a dollar sign and “USD” when referring to the ransom amount. The formatting of dates and times also caught her attention.

Fox News reported that Miller believes these seemingly minor choices could be useful when investigators ask the public to compare the messages with writing they may have encountered elsewhere.

None of these characteristics, on their own, identifies an individual. But investigators could potentially use a combination of repeated linguistic habits to narrow the field.

Pressure on the person behind the messages

Miller also believes publicly releasing the messages could have an unintended psychological effect on whoever wrote them.

She argued that an offender may become increasingly anxious after realizing investigators and the public are examining the language in the notes. That pressure, she said, could lead to behavioral changes that people close to the person might notice.

The hope is that someone who knows the suspected author will recognize a familiar phrase, punctuation habit or unusual way of writing and contact authorities.

Nancy Guthrie's disappearance remains unresolved

Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson home six months before the Pima County Sheriff's Department released the messages. Her case has continued to attract national attention, particularly because of her connection to Savannah Guthrie.

Fox News reported that the combined reward offered in the case has climbed above $1.2 million, underscoring the effort to generate new information.

Authorities have not confirmed that the messages are genuine. Savannah Guthrie has nevertheless said she believes they could be authentic, while investigators have continued to consider them as part of the case.

For detectives, the hope is that the unusual wording is not simply noise but a traceable signature — something that could prompt the right person to recognize the writer and finally provide a lead in the search for Nancy Guthrie.