Is Nancy Guthrie dead or alive? Fresh claims around contents of ransom notes spark concerns amid disappearance mystery; here’s what we know

Nancy Guthrie Case Update: As the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie, deepens, fresh questions have emerged over alleged ransom notes, fueling speculation about whether Nancy is alive or dead. A ransom note linked to Nancy’s disappearance claimed that the 84-year-old had died, according to CNN and other news organizations citing law enforcement sources.

However, TMZ has apparently shut down the latest reports and speculations surrounding these notes, claiming to have revealed the “exact” contents of the messages, with the outlet stating that they contained neither an apology nor any revelation that she was dead. Some media outlets had previously reported receiving ransom notes tied to the case in the days after Guthrie’s disappearance in early February from her home just outside Tucson.

CNN reported on Monday (June 22, 2026) that one of the notes revealed that Nancy Guthrie was dead and those who kidnapped her did not mean to kill her, but she died shortly after her disappearance. CNN said it knew the contents of one such note, and that a Tucson TV station had received two notes.


TMZ reportedly received nearly a dozen emails from a man who claimed to know both who had kidnapped Nancy and where she was being held. In his first message, sent just days after the kidnapping, he said he was willing to share the information in exchange for one bitcoin, stressing that "time is of the essence." He also made it clear that he was not involved in the kidnapping.



The following day, he sent another email stating that "time is no longer of the essence" — implying that Nancy was no longer alive. He continued sending emails, claiming the kidnappers had taken Nancy to Mexico. The man also said he needed the money because he would have to go into hiding out of fear of retaliation. Additionally, he expressed concern that authorities might attempt to link him to the kidnapping.

CNN and the station agreed to hold off on sharing the contents of the notes publicly so any future communications with the kidnapper or kidnappers could be authenticated, CNN reported.

Did authorities and Nancy’s family respond ?

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department declined to comment on the note's contents. The FBI didn’t respond to a request for comment. And the Guthrie family didn’t make any immediate social media posts or any public comments about the notes Monday.


ALSO READ: Why did Savannah Guthrie, the daughter of Nancy Guthrie, briefly break up with her husband, Michael Feldman, on the same day they got engaged?


Nancy Guthrie case highlights

Nancy Guthrie vanished from her home in Tucson, Arizona, in the early hours of February 1, 2026, and authorities believe she was kidnapped, abducted, or otherwise taken against her will. Investigators found blood near the doorstep of her home in the foothills outside Tucson. The FBI later released surveillance footage showing a masked man on her porch that night.

Volunteers and search teams scoured the nearby desert terrain filled with cactuses, bushes and boulders in the weeks after she vanished. A volunteer group recently conducted a search for her body near the Arizona-Mexico border but didn't report finding her.