Investigators probe potential new ransom note in Nancy Guthrie disappearance

Investigators are probing a potential new ransom note in the high-profile disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of "Today" host Savannah Guthrie, who vanished nearly eight months ago from her Arizona home, authorities announced Monday.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department and an FBI task force were recently alerted to the note alongside related social media chatter. Detectives are now working to determine if the message is a genuine lead or a hoax.

Officials have not revealed where they found the note or what it says.

The bombshell development comes after authorities released two prior ransom demands sent to a local Tucson TV station shortly after Guthrie vanished Feb. 1 from her house in the Catalina Foothills outside Tucson.

The first message, received Feb. 2, claimed the elderly mother was safe but frightened, promising her unharmed return for $4 million in cryptocurrency. A second note sent Feb. 6 claimed Guthrie died shortly after her abduction. Law enforcement has not confirmed whether she is still alive.

No arrests have been made, and key questions remain unanswered — including how many captors were involved or if Guthrie was targeted by someone she knew. FBI agents previously released chilling surveillance footage showing a masked intruder tampering with her front porch camera and blocking the lens with a potted plant.

Guthrie’s family has repeatedly posted emotional social media videos begging for information, but the mystery continues to baffle investigators.

The case has drawn massive national attention, creating intense speculation around any local discovery. Officials confirmed last week that human remains found 15 miles from her residence have "no indication" of a connection to her case.

Greg Hess, chief medical examiner for Pima County, noted that desert remains are frequently recovered near the southern border, but the search for Guthrie has put every new discovery under a microscope.

"Every time somebody found a body in the wash or somewhere else in southern Arizona over the past few months, there’s speculation that it’s the person everybody’s interested in," Hess said.