Half a Bitcoin was demanded in a ransom note Monday, the sender claiming to know Nancy Guthrie’s location and who kidnapped her, and tmz nancy guthrie said it forwarded the communication to investigators.
Harvey Levin Half-Bitcoin Quote
$69,954.02 — the market value of one Bitcoin at the time of reporting — frames the sender’s half-Bitcoin demand and the stakes Levin described on air: "We got another letter today from this person, an email saying, ‘I know where her body is and who the kidnapper is. Give me half a Bitcoin and I’ll tell you.’" Levin said the sender had reached out "incessantly," that his "spidey senses tell me that there’s something about this guy," and that he felt the sender "knows something." Levin also quoted earlier messages that warned "Time is of the essence" and later that "Time is no longer of the essence."
Charles Latibeaudiere Forwarded to FBI
Nearly two months elapsed since the same person first demanded one bitcoin for information tied to Nancy Guthrie’s Feb. 1 disappearance, Charles Latibeaudiere said as he described TMZ’s handling: "Right, but they also made the point that they wanted to make it clear that they had nothing to do with it, they’ve been out of the country — who knows, and again, we forwarded to the FBI, as we have in the past." Latibeaudiere added, "We’re not privy to all the information they are," and that "it sure seems like this person knows something," underscoring that TMZ passed the new note to federal authorities just as it has with prior letters.
Read Also: Nancy Guthrie Update: Two Notes Claim Sonora Sightings
Pima County and FBI Involvement
$1 million reward anchors the public stakes: Savannah Guthrie has offered $1 million and the FBI has posted a $100,000 reward for information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s recovery. The Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI are leading the Arizona investigation, and a sheriff’s office spokesperson said, "All tips and leads are being taken seriously and are forwarded directly to our detectives, who are coordinating with the FBI." The ransom letter was reportedly sent Monday morning, the same day Savannah Guthrie returned to the 'Today' show anchor desk.
Feb. 1 — the date of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance — ties the new note to the existing case; the sender reportedly wrote, "I saw her alive with them in the state of Sonora Mexico." If the sender’s claim holds, investigators would have a geographically specific lead to examine. For now, TMZ’s executives say they forwarded the note to investigators and law enforcement has said tips are being routed to detectives coordinating with the FBI, leaving the authenticity of the demand and the identification of the sender as the central unresolved questions in the investigation.
