Briana Whitney read new ransom excerpts on Wednesday in the Nancy Guthrie case, including a threat that Guthrie would be killed if payment did not arrive by Monday the 9th at 5 p.m. The note, described as purported and not independently verified, also set out a Bitcoin demand and said Guthrie would be held for ransom.
Whitney, a former Arizona reporter who was working for the Phoenix-based AZ Family news outlet when the case broke, joined Crime Junkie host Ashley Flowers to discuss the note and a wrench attack theory that emerged in May. A Crime Junkie spokesperson said the podcasters would not share copies of the text, leaving the excerpts as the public’s first detailed look at the note’s wording.
Briana Whitney reads the note
Whitney read, “Hello Savannah, We have your mother Nancy,” and then quoted the note’s promise that Guthrie was “safe but scared” and would be “held for ransom” before being released unharmed after payment. She also read the line saying Guthrie would be held for a maximum of seven days, with two deadlines and larger demands if payment took longer.
One passage said, “Once payment is received to the Bitcoin address below, she will be released within 12 hours of deposit to a safe drop-off location back in Tucson.” Another said, “It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible.”
Bitcoin demand and deadlines
The note’s structure gave the recipient a narrow window and then tightened it. It said there would be no negotiation, no further contact, and no help from law enforcement, while also warning, “Do not play games.” Whitney read that the sender would kill Guthrie if the last deadline passed.
The note also reportedly included details about the location of Guthrie’s Apple watch and the smashed floodlight in her backyard. That kind of reference can matter in a kidnapping case because it points to knowledge of the home environment, not just a generic threat.
Tucson investigation pressure
Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, and investigators treated the case as an apparent abduction. Josh Ritter later discussed a critical four-day delay in FBI involvement and said video evidence of a suspect was irreversibly lost, while a source familiar told News Digital that two photos of the suspect in the doorbell video were taken on different days.
An FBI image showed an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Guthrie’s front door the morning she disappeared. The note’s public release now adds a second layer to the case: a written demand that tied the alleged abduction to Bitcoin, a Tucson drop-off location, and a deadline on Monday the 9th at 5 p.m.
The unanswered issue is the amount. The source did not state how much ransom money was demanded, and the next change in the case will depend on whether investigators or families can place the note against the existing evidence from Tucson and the front-door camera.
