Investigators are re-evaluating an early decision made by the FBI task force in the Nancy Guthrie abduction case, which some believe may have hindered efforts to locate her. A report by Air Mail indicates that a decision made shortly after her kidnapping on February 1, when a ransom note demanded $4 million in Bitcoin, may have been a critical error. The note claimed that Guthrie, 84, was 'safe but scared.'
The alleged kidnappers warned that payment must be made within four days or the demand would increase. However, the task force opted to send a smaller amount of $152 to track the cryptocurrency, which did not yield results. The money remained untouched, and the kidnappers could not be traced.
Subsequent communications from the kidnappers included a second note, which suggested that Guthrie's body could be returned for a similar ransom. Savannah Guthrie, Nancy's daughter and co-host of the Today show, made a public appeal for her mother's return, stating, 'We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her.'
No suspects have been officially named in connection with the case, which has yielded few leads, including a strand of hair and doorbell footage of a masked figure at the scene. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos stated that the department is working with DNA labs to explore new leads in the investigation. The Daily Beast has contacted the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI for further comments.