Nancy Guthrie Ransom Notes Contain Repeated Writing Quirks that Could Help Identify Suspect, Expert Says
Investigators say the notes share distinctive wording, dollar signs and comma splices, and the case now carries more than $1.2 million in rewards.
- The Pima County Sheriff released two ransom notes in July to help identify the sender, six months after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson home on Feb. 1.
- Lisa Miller, a former Colorado Attorney General investigator, identified consistent grammatical quirks like comma splices in both notes, suggesting they were written by the same person.
- Miller noted oddities including "heart related" and "smartwatch" written as two words, patterns she attributed to the writer's unique "idiolect" shaped by regional upbringing and personal language style.
- Forensic psychologist Chris Mohandie expressed skepticism about the notes' authenticity, questioning Bitcoin requests for $4 million and $6 million as inconsistent with typical kidnapper behavior.
- DNA samples have been submitted to the FBI laboratory in Quantico, yet no suspects have been publicly identified nearly six months after Guthrie's Feb. 1 abduction.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Ransom mystery deepens as odd writing habits may expose kidnapper behind Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance
Investigators are examining two messages connected to Nancy Guthrie's suspected kidnapping case. These notes may reveal distinctive writing habits that could identify the author. Retired investigator Lisa Miller highlighted unusual punctuation and word choices in the messages. The language used might reflect the writer's personal background and idiolect. Authorities hope these linguistic clues will lead to new information about Guthrie's whereab…
Nancy Guthrie ransom notes contain repeated writing quirks that could help identify suspect, expert says
Guthrie is the 84-year-old mother of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie. Authorities have said she was taken from her home in northern Tucson in the early hours of Feb. 1, after a masked intruder appeared on her front steps in recovered doorbell camera video.
Repeated language patterns link both ransom notes in Nancy Guthrie abduction
A retired Colorado investigator says recurring grammatical quirks in ransom notes associated with the Nancy Guthrie case could hold the key to getting close to the suspect. Lisa Miller, a former law enforcement executive at the Colorado...
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