Josh Ritter on Nancy Guthrie case: FBI delay lost crucial evidence
Criminal defense attorney Josh Ritter details the critical four-day delay in FBI involvement in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping investigation, emphasizing how crucial video evidence of a suspect was irreversibly lost. He highlights the paramount importance of swift action in criminal probes to secure all available evidence.
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New portions of the first purported ransom note received in the Nancy Guthrie investigation have been made public after a former Arizona reporter read them on a major true crime podcast Wednesday.
Briana Whitney, who was working for the Phoenix-based AZ Family news outlet when the case broke, joined Crime Junkie host Ashley Flowers to discuss the note and a “wrench attack” theory that emerged in May.
A Crime Junkie spokesperson said the podcasters would not share copies of the text, which has not been independently verified. However, Whitney read excerpts on air:
NANCY GUTHRIE RANSOM NOTE CLAIMED THAT SHE HAD DIED, BEEN ‘BURIED WITH NATURE,’ SOURCE SAYS
Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, with investigators treating the case as an apparent abduction. (Fox Flight Team; Courtesy of NBC)
“Hello Savannah, We have your mother Nancy,” she began, reading from what she said was the first note sent to local media. “She is safe but scared. She will be held for ransom, and once payment is received, she will be released unharmed. We will be holding her for a maximum of seven days.”
As previously conveyed by authorities, the sender gave two deadlines with increased money demands the longer it took.
“Once payment is received to the Bitcoin address below, she will be released within 12 hours of deposit to a safe drop-off location back in Tucson,” Whitney read. “If the payment is not received by the last deadline on Monday the 9th at 5 p.m., she will be killed. Your mother is aware of this, and her life is in your hands.”
NANCY GUTHRIE RANSOM NOTES DON’T MATCH SUSPECT’S BEHAVIOR, PROFILER SAYS: ‘I DON’T BELIEVE THEY’RE REAL’
A source familiar tells Fox News Digital that two photos of the suspect in the Nancy Guthrie doorbell video were taken on different days. (FBI)
The sender left no room for further dialogue.
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“It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible,” the note reportedly continued. “You will not be able to contact me from here on out. There will be no negotiation. Do not play games. Law enforcement will not be able to help you.”
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This image released by the FBI shows an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance in Tucson, Arizona, Sunday, February 1, 2026. (L) An undated photo of Nancy Guthrie provided by NBC in response to the disappearance of the 84-year-old mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie. (Provided by FBI; Courtesy of NBC)
The note also included details that may have only been available to investigators and the suspect at the time, including the location of Guthrie’s Apple watch and details about the smashed floodlight in her backyard.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE PLEADS FOR TIPS AS RANSOM NOTE CLAIMS MOM IS DEAD: ‘SOMEBODY KNOWS SOMETHING’
She also read from a purported second note, which claimed that the kidnappers had underestimated Guthrie’s health and that she had died shortly after being taken. That note reportedly included an apology at the end.
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Investigators stand in the entrance to the home of Nancy Guthrie in Tucson, Ariz., Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)
Guthrie was taken from her Tucson home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI.
The only known suspect remains publicly unidentified — a masked intruder who appeared on Nest doorbell camera video that the FBI recovered with help from Google.
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He is described as standing between 5 feet, 9 inches and 5 feet, 10 inches tall with an average build. He was wearing a black Ozark Trail backpack.
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The sum of rewards in the case is over $1.2 million.
Anyone with information is asked to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Tucson’s Crime Stoppers affiliate at 520-88-CRIME.
