'TMZ' confirms new Guthrie note with ransom demand: 'I want 1 Bitcoin'
BREAKING: Third letter sent to TMZ founder Harvey Levin claims to know who Nancy Guthrie kidnapper is.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 11, 2026
HARVEY LEVIN: "An hour and a half ago we got a kind of bizarre letter, an email from somebody who says they know who the kidnapper is, and that they have tried reaching… pic.twitter.com/s2s8nthyFY
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A third message tied to the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie has surfaced, this time sent directly to TMZ and demanding cryptocurrency in exchange for alleged information about her suspected kidnapper.
According to TMZ, the email arrived shortly before 5 am Pacific Time on Wednesday, February 11. Unlike the earlier ransom communication, this message did not claim to be from the abductor.
Instead, the sender asserted that they knew the identity of the person responsible and were willing to share that name for a price.
The email reportedly stated: “If they want the name of the individual involved then I want 1 Bitcoin to the following wallet. Time is more than relevant.”
New Bitcoin wallet emerges in latest email
The outlet also reported that the Bitcoin wallet listed in this latest email was not the same one referenced in the original ransom note previously sent to TMZ and two Tucson television stations.
One Bitcoin is currently valued at approximately $66,000, which is notably higher than the $50,000 reward federal authorities are offering for information leading to Guthrie’s recovery or to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for her disappearance.
TMZ confirmed that the wallet address included in the message appeared to be legitimate and active. TMZ said that it had immediately passed the message to the FBI.
Claims of failed attempts to reach the Guthrie family
The sender allegedly claimed that they had tried unsuccessfully to contact Savannah Guthrie's siblings, Camron and Annie, via email and text before reaching out to TMZ.
Speaking on Fox News' 'America’s Newsroom', TMZ founder Harvey Levin described the latest development.
“An hour and a half ago, we got a kind of bizarre letter, an email from somebody who says they know who the kidnapper is, and that they have tried reaching Savannah’s sister Annie and Savannah’s brother to no avail,” Levin said.
He added, “They said they want one Bitcoin sent to a Bitcoin address that we have confirmed is active.”
The new message comes amid heightened law enforcement activity in the case.
New images in the search for Nancy Guthrie:
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) February 10, 2026
Over the last eight days, the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department have been working closely with our private sector partners to continue to recover any images or video footage from Nancy Guthrie’s home that may have been lost,… pic.twitter.com/z5WLgPtZpT
On Tuesday, the FBI released the first images of an armed individual who allegedly appeared at Nancy Guthrie’s home in the early hours of February 1- the morning she disappeared.
Later that same day, authorities detained a delivery driver during a traffic stop in a Tucson suburb. After questioning, the individual was released and later told reporters he had no knowledge of Guthrie or her disappearance.
