A new letter linked to the baffling Nancy Guthrie case has reportedly been sent to TMZ, demanding one bitcoin in return for details about who abducted the elderly woman. The payment—valued at about $67,000—was allegedly requested in exchange for the "name of the individual involved."
This letter, the third such message sent since Nancy vanished on Jan. 31, included a functioning bitcoin address. A television host later revealed the detail during a Wednesday news appearance on Fox News' "America Newsroom." "If they want the name of the individual involved, then I want 1 Bitcoin to the following wallet. Time is more than relevant," the note stated, TMZ reported.
New Twist, Kidnapper Still Unidentified
"They said they want one Bitcoin sent to a Bitcoin address that we have confirmed is active. It's a real Bitcoin address, and as they put it, time is more than relevant," Levin said. "So we have no idea whether this is real or not. But they are making a demand."
The bitcoin address listed in this message does not match the one included in the original ransom note, which was sent last week to TMZ and two television news stations in the Tucson area.
TMZ said it has since handed over the latest note to the FBI as the investigation continues.
One bitcoin is valued at roughly $67,000 right now—significantly higher than the $50,000 reward police are offering for tips that lead to the arrest of those believed to be behind the kidnapping of NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother.
The demand surfaced amid a wave of developments earlier this week, including the release of the first photos and video footage tied to Nancy's disappearance. The images were pulled from a Nest doorbell camera at her home in Tucson, Arizona, offering investigators—and the public—their first glimpse of a possible suspect.
Cops Still Clueless
The disturbing images capture a person dressed in a ski mask, heavy gloves, a zipped-up jacket, and a backpack as they approach Nancy's front door on the night she vanished. At one point, the person appears to try to block the camera by pushing shrubbery in front of it.
The footage also appears to show what looks like a firearm awkwardly holstered at the front of the person's pants as they walk toward the home in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood north of Tucson, where Nancy had lived since 1975.
On Tuesday night, police stopped and briefly detained a FedEx delivery driver, Carlos Palazuelos, in Rio Rico—just south of Tucson—after pulling over a gray SUV. He was later released without charges after authorities searched his home in the area.
Speaking afterward, Palazuelos said he had no idea who Nancy Guthrie was, explaining that he doesn't follow the news.
Nancy, 84, depends on daily, lifesaving medication and has a pacemaker. She was last confirmed to be alive on the evening of Jan. 31, when her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni—who is married to her daughter Annie—dropped her off at her home.
