Nancy Guthrie ransom notes released by sheriff's department

The Pima County Sheriff's Department has released ransom notes believed to be from the kidnapper of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie. The notes were sent to a local news outlet shortly after Nancy Guthrie's disappearance in February.

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Hello Savannah, 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. We will be holding her for a maximum of 7 days. You will need to send bitcoin in the amount of $4 million USO before 5PM on Thursday the 5th. If payment is not received, the ransom will be increased to 6 million USO which will need to be paid by 5PM on Monday the 9th. 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. If payment is not recieved by the last deadline on Monday the 9th at 5PM, she will be killed. Your mother is aware of this and her life is in your hands. It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible. 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.

The first message, addressed to Savannah Guthrie, stated that her mother was being held for ransom and demanded $4 million in bitcoin within seven days, with a threat to increase the amount to $6 million if the initial deadline was missed. The note specified that if the ransom was not paid by a final deadline, Nancy Guthrie would be killed.

A second note, sent a few days later to the Guthrie family, claimed Nancy Guthrie had "perished shortly after she was taken," attributing her death to a heart-related issue. The authors expressed sorrow and stated that nothing could have been done to change the outcome.

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Guthrie Family, 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. She is buried in nature now. Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome. We want your family to know this and hope you all can find peace. We are truly sorry.

The sheriff's department released these communications, highlighting "distinctive patterns of word choice, syntax, and phraseology" that they believe reflect the writer's unique linguistic style. They hope these "distinctive linguistic characteristics" may be recognizable to a member of the public, prompting anyone with information about the writing style to come forward.

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distinctive patterns of word choice, syntax, and phraseology that reflect the writer's unique linguistic style