Cryptocurrency Twist and Cross-Border Hunt: New Demands Intensify the Search for Nancy Guthrie
The search for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie, has entered its twentieth day with a chilling escalation: a new, highly sophisticated ransom demand has emerged, this time involving a cryptic cryptocurrency switch. Entertainment news outlet TMZ reported receiving an email from alleged kidnappers demanding a sum similar to the original $6 million ransom but with a critical technological twist—the request now specifies a cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin, accompanied by a new digital wallet address . The message, which TMZ has turned over to the FBI, graphically describes the consequences if the demand is not met, raising the stakes in a case that has already seen multiple unverified ransom communications since Guthrie vanished from her Tucson home in the early hours of February 1.
As the digital threats multiply, the physical search has expanded beyond borders. Law enforcement sources confirm the FBI has contacted Mexican authorities, particularly in the state of Sonora, investigating the possibility that Guthrie could have been taken across the nearby border . While officials caution they have no concrete evidence she is in Mexico, the family has even reached out to a Mexican non-profit dedicated to finding missing persons in the region . Meanwhile, with traditional DNA leads hitting dead ends—the genetic material found on a suspect glove produced no matches in the FBI’s CODIS database—investigators are now turning to cutting-edge investigative genetic genealogy, comparing crime scene DNA with consumer ancestry databases to build a family tree that could finally identify the masked man captured on surveillance footage . Sheriff Chris Nanos has cleared all family members of suspicion, emphasizing they remain hopeful even as they navigate what he described as a nightmare that could take “10 days, 10 months, or worse” to resolve.
