Nancy Guthrie kidnapping: Anonymous email to TMZ claims hidden phone holds crucial video; asks for Bitcoin in exchange

Days after investigators in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of US journalist Savannah Guthrie, concluded that the ransom note claiming she had died came from her abductors, TMZ has received another email with new developments in the case.

TMZ on Friday (local time) said they received another email from a person who claimed to know the identities of the 84-year-old's kidnappers, adding that they have video evidence of the "main guy" and Nancy Guthrie on the day she died.

The news outlet added that it verified that the new email came from the same person who sent the earlier messages, as it referenced the same old Bitcoin address and used the same alias.

Mocking TMZ's report that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) believes the person behind the emails may be a woman, and said, "I am not the idiot who recently called in a tip about her burial site in Mexico."

Here's what the latest email claims?

According to the report, the person who sent the email claimed that there are two kidnappers, reiterating his previous assertion that more than one person was involved.

Continuing with his claims, the person added, "I have a phone stashed in a secure location guaranteeing both the information it stores and the safety of the phone." He goes on to say, "What it contains is my definition of delivering them on a silver platter, a short video of the main guy with Nancy, the day that was probably her last, pictures of both involved, names and addresses, and age."

He further claimed that the phone is in a "location easy to access if you know where it is," and added that he will ante up the password for one Bitcoin, and shared a new Bitcoin address.

The news outlet has posted its reaction to the latest demand, asking him to send a screenshot of Nancy to verify his claim. Further, the email was forwarded to the FBI, it added.

Savannah Guthrie pleads for answers

Earlier this week, "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, in an emotional appeal, asked the viewers to come forward with any information that they might have about her missing mother, a day after news outlets reported that a ransom note reported months ago suggested that Nancy Guthrie was dead, AP reported.

The journalist said, "We are in agony, and we cannot be at peace. … We love our mom. We'll never stop looking for her." Commenting on the reports that her mother may have died, she said, "I don't have any comment on this story. I'm not involved in our coverage." She went on to say, "But I can't pretend I'm not here. And since I am, I want to just take the opportunity to ask people — really to beg people — to come forward. Somebody knows something.”

Media outlets received ransom notes

Few media outlets had previously reported receiving ransom notes in the days following Guthrie’s disappearance, but had not disclosed the details while the investigation was at an early stage. Guthrie's family was aware of the notes.

Tucson TV station KOLD said Monday that it had received two notes, one demanding millions in Bitcoin in exchange for Guthrie’s return and another that said she had died. Separately, CNN cited law enforcement sources in reporting on the contents of the notes.

CNN said a note indicated that those who kidnapped Guthrie did not mean to kill her but that she died shortly after her disappearance.

Nancy Guthrie's disappearance

Nancy Guthrie, 84, who lived alone, was reported missing from her Tucson-area home on 1 February. She was last seen the night before, after meeting with her other daughter, Annie Guthrie, and her husband. Over a week after her disappearance, the FBI released a video from a camera outside her front door showing a masked stranger. Her blood was found on the porch, but the case remains unsolved.