‘Unverified Ransom Note’ for Savannah Guthrie’s Missing Mom Nancy Sent to TMZ: Contained Demands for ‘a Substantial Sum of Money’

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Entertainment news website TMZ says it has received an “unverified ransom note” for “Today” host Savannah Guthrie‘s missing mother, Nancy, revealing that the message was sent via an email in which an anonymous person demanded a “substantial sum of money” be transferred to them via Bitcoin.

TMZ’s founder, Harvey Levin, shared the update in an Instagram video in which he and his co-host, Charles Latibeaudiere, revealed details of what was in the note—while stating that they immediately passed the message over to law enforcement.

Nancy, 84, was reported missing from her Arizona home on Feb. 1, having last been seen at around 9:45 p.m. local time the previous night, when she was dropped off at the property by her daughter, Annie, following a dinner.

Local law enforcement, in collaboration with the FBI, have since mounted a substantial investigation into her disappearance, with Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos later revealing that they had uncovered evidence to suggest she was “taken against her will.”

While Nanos declined to reveal whether any ransom note had been sent to law enforcement during a media briefing on Tuesday, Levin and Latibeaudiere stated in their video, which was posted about an hour after the news conference ended, that the message they received has been handed over to authorities.

“TMZ received an unverified ransom note today demanding a substantial amount for the return of ‘Today’ anchor Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother, Nancy,” the caption of the video states. “We have since contacted law enforcement.”

In the clip, Levin further explains: “So we got something in our email that looks … it’s written like a ransom note.

He adds that the person or persons who sent the note included “certain things about what she was wearing and damage to the house” in an apparent attempt to prove that they were present when Nancy was taken from her property.

While neither he nor Latibeaudiere confirmed how much money had been demanded, a story posted to TMZ’s website stated that the sum was “in the millions,” adding that its reporters have verified the validity of the Bitcoin address used in the message.

“There is a deadline connected to the alleged ransom … and an element of ‘or else,'” the story adds.

The update was shared just one hour after Nanos and a representative from the FBI, Jon Edwards, address members of the media at a press conference, during which it was revealed that authorities have not yet made any major breakthroughs in the case.

Nanos admitted that Nancy’s life is “in jeopardy,” noting that his department is working to pursue any and all leads but conceded it has yet to pull together enough evidence to identify a specific suspect or suspects in the case.

When he was asked about rumors that a ransom note had been sent, Nanos said he had no knowledge of any kind of message being received. The timeline of when TMZ handed over its message is unclear, however Levin noted in his video that they had struggled to get ahold of the correct person to pass the note on to.

Nanos also refused to elaborate on reports that Nancy’s pacemaker stopped syncing with her Apple phone and watch in the early hours of the morning on Feb. 1, nor would he confirm sources’ claims that blood was discovered in her home.

“Someone’s life is in jeopardy,” he said during the media briefing. “We’ve got to find her, and we’ve got to work hard to do that.”

When asked whether he was able to share any information about what Nancy might have been wearing, or what kind of car she might have been traveling in, Nanos said he had none to share. He also confessed that they do not currently know if they are searching for one suspect, or multiple.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department initially revealed that officers had found “gravely concerning” evidence inside Nancy’s Tucson, AZ, property during their search and have now stated that they believe the “Today” show star’s mother was “taken against her will.”

“I think she was abducted,” Nanos told NBC News. “When you’re taken from your bed and you don’t want to go somewhere, that’s an abduction.”

Nanos’ department later clarified that he was speaking figuratively and not suggesting that Nancy was taken from her bed at the home.

He added that his officers had found evidence inside the home that suggests Nancy was “harmed” before being removed from the property, but did not provide any other information.

“We know she was harmed at the home, but we don’t know to what extent,” he said.

However, law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times that blood had been found inside Nancy’s home, alongside signs of forced entry. It is not immediately clear who the blood belonged to.

Law enforcement sources told Fox News that Nancy’s Apple devices stopped syncing with her pacemaker at around 2 a.m. local time—and they believe this is when she was taken from the home. An Apple Watch was discovered inside the property, which is understood to have been connected to Nancy’s pacemaker via Bluetooth.

During an appearance on the “Today” show on Tuesday morning, Nanos stressed the urgency of the situation, describing Nancy’s case as a “race against time.”

He added that detectives have taken samples of DNA found in the home, noting that they are using them to try to pin down the identity of a suspect who may have entered the property.

“It is a race against time, and I hope that window hasn’t closed,” he said. “We took some samples that we hope will have enough profile of a DNA profile that gives us some identification of what we’re looking at.”

The 84-year-old is described as being physically frail—and disappeared from her home without medication that she has to take every 24 hours to survive. However, she is understood to have had no cognitive impairments and is described as being “of sound mind.”