Did Nancy Guthrie Ransom Note Apologize For Accidentally Killing Her Reporter Sets Record Straight Amid Reports

TMZ’s Harvey Levin has spoken out about a report that said a Nancy Guthrie ransom note he received "apologized" for accidentally killing the 84-year-old. Investigative sources told news site Airmail that a note sent to TMZ "opened with a sputtering and labored 'apology' for Guthrie's inadvertent death."

Levin dismissed the claim in a video. "That was not in the ransom note that we received. It is not in that ransom note at all," he said.

He continued, “It does say that she's 'scared but okay,' but the ransom note makes no reference to Nancy Guthrie either dying or the kidnappers apologizing. Now there is a reference to Nancy Guthrie not being alive anymore, but that is from the person who sent us multiple emails saying that he knows or knew where Nancy Guthrie was and where the kidnappers were, and he wanted money in return for information. We passed that along to the FBI as we did the ransom note, but this person kept sending us emails, and early on he said, "time is of the essence," and then a few days after the kidnapping he said, "time is no longer of the essence," meaning she wasn't alive. So, that's where that came from, not the people who kidnapped her, but from the person who was sending us these notes.”

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"If somebody is scamming and wants to get money, why would they say, 'time is no longer of the essence?'" Levin asked. "You want to say, 'no, time is still of the essence,' so you can get the money and make people feel that it's urgent to pay it."

Levin said that this realization made him contact the FBI again to insist that "there's something about this guy that felt legit."

"And I said, look, what if TMZ does a documentary and that we try and get in touch with this guy and even pay the money?" Levin said. "And if he takes us to the location, then you get resolution, the Guthrie family gets resolution. And if he scams us, he scams us. But I just had this real feeling that it might be real."

Levin’s FBI contact thought the idea was interesting and promised to get back to him. However, they never did.

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"And I've called a half-a-dozen times since over the last couple of weeks, and I've gotten nothing back," Levin said. "For some reason, the FBI has gone radio silent on me…they've ghosted me, and I don't know what that's about."

It has been revealed that a note sent in February to local news outlets about Nancy’s disappearance said died shortly after she was kidnapped. Investigators believe that the note, as well as another earlier note demanding a ransom of millions of dollars, were legitimate communications from whoever abducted Savannah Guthrie’s mother, per CNN.

Sumanti Sen covers everything that’s happening in the US, from politics to entertainment, but her expertise lies in covering crime news. She has comprehensively chronicled the Idaho student murders, the Laken Riley and Iryna Zarutska cases, and the killing of Charlie Kirk, among other incidents. Over the years, she has interviewed several victims/families of victims of crimes seeking justice. She digs up stories that might otherwise remain unheard, and does her bit to ensure that victims and survivors’ voices are heard. Sumanti’s many years of experience also include interviews with Hamas attack survivors and mental health experts, among others. Her coverage of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and interviews with survivors of the tragedy, coupled with her other works including the Titan submersible coverage, earned her the Digi Journo of the Quarter award during her first year at Hindustan Times. Sumanti actively tracks missing person cases in the United States, and peruses Reddit and other social media platforms to bring to light cases that frequently elude public attention. She has extensively covered the disappearances of Nancy Guthrie, Thomas Medlin, Beau Mann, and Sudiksha Konanki, among others. When not at work, you will either find her with her novels, or with her beloved rescue pooches.Read More