Nancy Guthrie
A friend of missing Nancy Guthrie says hope is fading as investigators examine new tips tied to two unverified ransom notes JLR/X

A friend of missing Arizona woman Nancy Guthrie says the Nancy Guthrie case feels 'all but completely dead' as investigators pursue new tips linked to two purported ransom notes released publicly on 31 July. The friend said the prolonged uncertainty had become heartbreaking and that they had 'lost almost all hope' of a positive outcome.

Nancy Guthrie Case Draws New Tips

The news came after the Pima County Sheriff's Office released the complete contents of the two notes, which were reportedly sent on 2 February and 6 February. Investigators have not publicly established that either message is genuine, and the claims within them remain unconfirmed.

The friend, who knew Guthrie personally, said the lack of answers had made the case increasingly painful to follow. They described the disappearance as an ordeal for Guthrie's family and friends, who have been left without a clear explanation of what happened.

According to reports, the friend said, 'The case is completely dead. So much time has passed, and it's devastating to think that someone I knew and cared about could disappear without her family and friends getting the answers they deserve.'

The Pima County Sheriff's Office said the release of the notes had produced a modest increase in information. Angelica Carrillo, a public information officer for the department, told reporters that investigators had seen 'a slight increase in tips since the two ransom notes were released last week.'

'All tips have been followed up on,' Carrillo added. That statement offers one of the few concrete updates in a case otherwise dominated by uncertainty. More tips have reached investigators, but there has been no public confirmation that they have produced a breakthrough, identified a suspect or verified the messages.

What the Ransom Notes Claim

The first purported note addressed Guthrie's daughter, Savannah, and claimed that Nancy Guthrie had been taken and was being held for ransom.

'Hello Savannah,' the message read. 'We have your mother Nancy. She is safe but scared. She will be held for ransom and once payment is received she will be released unharmed.'

'She had a white smartwatch on the floor at the foot of her bed and the white floodlight in the backyard was destroyed,' the note stated.

The second message presented a far more serious account, claiming Guthrie had died shortly after she was taken.

'We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition. We never intended to hurt her, that was not our intention. She perished shortly after she was taken. We believe it was heart-related,' the note stated.

Authorities have not confirmed that account, nor have they publicly verified the circumstances described in either message. The notes may contain information known only to someone close to the disappearance, but they may also contain deliberate misdirection.

The smartwatch reference has nevertheless attracted attention because it reportedly appeared in a message before the detail became widely known. Jason Pack, a retired FBI negotiator, said the detail could suggest that the writer had some familiarity with Guthrie's home, although he stopped short of saying it proved direct knowledge of the circumstances.

'He knew about the watch on the floor, almost nobody did,' Pack said. 'In my view, two things the language does support. He writes like a native English speaker. The idiom and the small connecting words are all in the right places, and at this length that is hard to fake.'

For Guthrie's friend, those unanswered questions have offered little comfort. The debate over the notes has not changed the central reality for those waiting for news. More than six months have passed, and the family still does not know what happened.

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