The people holding Nancy Guthrie reportedly want $6 million in Bitcoin — and they've set a deadline of 5 p.m. today to get it.
The Daily Caller reported that Tucson ABC affiliate KGUN9 revealed the ransom figure after receiving one of multiple notes sent to media outlets, reporting the demand in a story published Saturday. Feb. 8 marked the eighth day since the 84-year-old was last seen.
Her pacemaker stopped syncing with her watch on Feb. 1 at 2:28 p.m. The medications she requires for daily survival remain inside her home.
A trail of her blood was discovered on her doorstep.
KGUN9 reporter JJ McKinney broke the story on the dollar amount after his outlet received correspondence directly from the alleged kidnappers:
"Multiple ransom notes have been sent out to the media, including one that was sent to us."
McKinney further reported on the contents of the letter:
"In the letter, the potential kidnappers demanded that the Guthries pay them $6 million before this Monday."
That Monday is today — February 9. The note included the threat that Guthrie's life will be in peril if the demands aren't met by the 5 p.m. deadline. Demanding payment in Bitcoin is a deliberate choice — cryptocurrency is harder to trace, harder to freeze, and perfectly suited for someone trying to extract millions without leaving a paper trail.
Nancy Guthrie's three children — Annie, Savannah, and Camron — posted a video statement to Instagram on Saturday, speaking directly to whoever has their mother.
Savannah Guthrie addressed the captors:
"We received your message, and we understand."
"We beg you now to return our mother to us, so that we can celebrate with her."
"This is the only way we can have peace."
One of the Guthrie siblings went further:
"This is very valuable to us, and we will pay."
That's a family staring down a clock with no good options. An 84-year-old woman who depends on daily medication, whose pacemaker went silent over a week ago, whose blood was found at her own front door — and the only leverage her children have is a public video begging strangers for mercy.
Police were seen investigating the homes of both Nancy Guthrie and her daughter Annie Guthrie on Feb. 7. Beyond that, the official picture remains thin. No arrests have been announced in connection with the ransom demands.
No law enforcement agency has publicly confirmed the $6 million figure. The information comes through a second-hand chain — KGUN9's reporting was relayed by the New York Post, then picked up by the Daily Caller.
That matters. Kidnapping cases generate noise — hoaxes, copycats, opportunists. The fact that ransom notes were sent to multiple media outlets, not just to the family, suggests captors who want attention as much as money. Whether that's a sign of sophistication or desperation is impossible to know right now.
Walk through the sequence:
Nine days. That's how long an 84-year-old woman with a pacemaker and medication needs has been missing. Nine days without the drugs that keep her alive. The pacemaker detail alone is chilling — a device designed to sustain her heart went dark less than 24 hours after she vanished.
As of this morning, the clock is running. The family has publicly signaled willingness to pay. Law enforcement has been visibly active but publicly silent. And whoever sent those ransom notes chose to blast them to newsrooms — turning a private family nightmare into a media spectacle on their terms.
There is an 84-year-old woman somewhere whose heart monitor went quiet eight days ago. Her children are on camera, pleading. Her blood is on her own doorstep. And the people responsible want $6 million in untraceable currency by sundown.
Some stories don't need commentary. They need resolution.
