Founder of TMZ Harvey Levin shared details of a alleged ransom note relating to the disappearance of Savannah Guthriethe mother, Nancy Guthrie.
Earlier this week, Levin, 75, received one of the two reported ransom notes by email, which he said during a CNN Interview on Thursday, February 5, he immediately sent it to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in Arizona, which forwarded it to the FBI. (Tucson news channel KOLD News 13 also said it received a ransom note.)
After an FBI press conference earlier Thursday, in which investigators confirmed two terms mentioned in the alleged ransom note, Levin gave more details about the letter he received.
“There was a 5 o’clock deadline today, and there’s a change, if it’s a hijacker, of what the hijacker might want,” Levin told CNN. Erin Burnettand adds that a second deadline, set for Monday 9 February, “is much more consequential”.
Annie Guthrie and her family have found themselves in the spotlight for a reason no one wants to experience. On February 1, 2026, it was reported that Nancy Guthrie was reported missing in Arizona after a family member called 911. In the following days, Annie and her siblings, which include Camron Guthrie and Today show anchor (…)
“It looked like someone meant business. When you read it, it’s very detailed,” he said.
According to Levin, the email began by describing Nancy, 84, as “okay but scared” and said that today the mother of the show’s cohost was “aware of the letter and the demands” made on it.
Levin also said that “the letter says you will have no way to contact me; that’s the only contact.”
“It specifically says there will be no further communication … no negotiation, no communication,” Levin said in another interview with CNN Anderson Cooper on Thursday
Levin said there is one detail in the letter he received that has not been reported so far that may lend credence to its legitimacy.
During Thursday’s press conference, FBI Special Agent in Charge Phoenix Heath Janke said the ransom note mentioned Nancy’s Apple Watch and a damaged floodlight on her property outside of Tucson.
According to Levin, the letter he received mentioned “the placement of the Apple Watch,” which he noted “hasn’t gone out yet” to the press.
Levin also said another part of the letter leads him to believe the person behind the alleged ransom note may be near Tucson.
Savannah Guthrie’s family faced an unimaginable situation when they learned that their 84-year-old matriarch, Nancy Guthrie, was reported missing in Arizona in February 2026. As the police have become involved in the investigation and the case has unraveled, many people are curious about the timeline of events that occurred before and after Nancy’s disappearance. “To (…)
“I think there’s a radius around Tucson that they reveal in this demand letter,” he said.
Levin shared that TMZ’s IT team was unable to trace the email back to its original source.
“The letter says, ‘The police won’t help you,'” he said.
Nancy, 84, was reported missing from his home near Tucson on Sunday, February 1. She was last seen on Saturday, January 31.
Savannah, 54, and her siblings, annie i Cameron Guthrie, he pleaded for his mother’s safe return in an emotional Instagram video on Wednesday, February 4.
“As a family, we’re doing everything we can,” Savannah said. “We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear you and we are willing to hear you. Please contact us.”
Cameron appealed again in an Instagram video shared by Savannah Thursday just after the 5 p.m. deadline.
“Whoever is out there with our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly,” he said. “We need you to contact us and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward. But first, we need to know if you have our mother. We want to talk to you and we are waiting for contact.”
The FBI confirmed Thursday that it had made an arrest in connection with a fraudulent ransom demand separate from the ransom notes obtained by TMZ and KOLD News 13.