First Nancy Guthrie Ransom Note Details Revealed

Details of the first ransom note in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie have surfaced after crime journalist Briana Whitney shared them on the Crime Junkie podcast. The chilling message was addressed directly to her daughter, Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, and warned that her mother’s life was in her hands.

Nancy, 84, has been missing since January 31 after authorities believe she was taken from her Tucson, Arizona home in the early morning hours. A masked figure was caught on her doorbell camera appearing to tamper with it, and she was reported missing the following day.

Whitney read the opening lines of the note aloud during the episode. “Hello, Savannah. We have your mother, Nancy. She is safe but scared. She will be held for ransom, and once payment is received, she will be released unharmed. We will be holding her for a maximum of seven days.”

The note then demanded millions of dollars in bitcoin. Sources previously told PEOPLE the specific amounts were $4 million due by Thursday, February 5, and if that was not met an increased demand of $6 million by Monday, February 9. Whitney continued reading: “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.”

The warning grew darker. “If the payment is not received by the last deadline on Monday the 9th at 5 p.m., she will be killed. Your mother is aware of this and her life is in your hands. It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible. You will not be able to contact me from here on out. There will be no negotiation. Do not play games. Law enforcement will not be able to help you.”

At the end of the note the sender included specific details about Nancy’s home that had not been made public at the time. Whitney explained they mentioned a white smartwatch that was on the floor near her bed at the foot of it and a floodlight in the backyard that had been destroyed.

Whitney noted that the FBI is still investigating whether the note is legitimate. The FBI declined to comment when contacted by PEOPLE, and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said it had no additional information to provide.

The revelation of the first note’s full wording comes after earlier reports about a second ransom note sent to the Guthrie family and media outlets that claimed Nancy had died. That second message did not include an apology or any request for payment related to her body.

Savannah returned to the Today show desk on April 6 after more than two months away. She has spoken openly about the pain the family continues to carry. After the second note reports emerged she made an emotional plea on air, asking people to come forward with any information. “This is a new story that today is on your radar, but this is the life that my sister lives, that I live, that my brother lives, that our extended families live, that our children live every day. And we are in agony and we cannot be at peace.”

She later told Jenna Bush Hager that she still cries every morning on the way to work and on the way home, yet holds onto both the sadness and the moments of joy for her children and her colleagues.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.