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Amy Robach
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human hey, this is US Olympic gold medalist Tara Davis Woodhull. And I'm US Paralympic gold medalist Hunter Woodhull. As athletes, our lives are about having a clear path and a team that you can absolutely trust. So when it came to getting the best mortgage, we chose PennyMac. PennyMac is proud to be the official mortgage provider of Team USA and you.
TJ Holmes
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Amy Robach
There's a fire inside you you can't ignore. Stand still. Not a chance. You're a lifelong learner who's come this far. Now we are here to help you keep going further. Capella University what can't you do? Visit capella.edu to learn more. If you're struggling with weight loss, start your journey at loseweightnow Co. Because orderly meds helps people get real results with proven GLP1 semaglutide starting for as little as $70 month. No waiting rooms, no confusion, just real support and guidance you can count on all year long. Get started today at loseweightnow co. Individual results may vary. Visit loseweightnow.co and get started today. That's loseweightnow co. Do you want to.
TJ Holmes
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Amy Robach
That's correct. And they this makes sense. They had a white tent. They put up this morning on Nancy Guthrie's front porch. And it looks like they were. They have very accurate tools, they say, to be able to get the angles of where the door camera was and actually do measurements. And they said they're pretty precise. So they feel confident that they have this suspect's height down within an inch, five nine to five, ten. That's pretty remarkable.
TJ Holmes
It is. But robes, the statement they put out, we'll share with the FBI statement they put online, first of all, saying that the reward has increased. That's another headline we'll tell you about. But they say new identifying details about the suspect and the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie have been confirmed after a forensic analysis of the doorbell camera footage by the FBI's Operational Technology Division. The suspect is described as a male, 59 to 5, 10 inches tall with an average build. In the video, he was wearing a black 25 liter Ozark Trail hiker pack backpack. And that's all we got. Now the most specific thing here, robes, is the backpack. A 510 average build guy. That's me.
Amy Robach
That's just about everybody. Yeah, you're a little taller than that. But yes, it's not.
TJ Holmes
You get my point. It's not that distinctive in the description. But the backpack is specific.
Amy Robach
Yes, the backpack is specific and it has reflective bands on basically the, the straps. And so that sets it apart. And because it's reflective, they could actually see it. And they're looking for that backpack in other videos, in other potential surveillance videos. And they are asking now neighbors to go back in time because they think it's possible this man could have been perhaps scoping out the area, maybe planned his route, maybe did some test runs. So they're actually asking neighbors to go back even further.
TJ Holmes
A month? Yeah, they're asking them to go back a month. If you got anything from January 1st on, let us know. So they're looking for that. Enrolled, we should mention as well. But they are looking into it. There is a video. They've acknowledged authorities. We just looked at the video. It is circulating that shows. Please tell me how far back this went, if you can remember. But there's a video, a surveillance video that seems to show a guy, which you can't tell what he's doing, but he has a backpack, he's about a mile and a half away from her home. And this was maybe weeks ahead of time, but it's circulating online and raising some questions.
Amy Robach
Correct. And that is why they have asked, actually footage from anyone who may have video on January, January 11, between 9pm and midnight. And January 31, between 9:30 and 11, because they know something, that maybe there was someone wearing that backpack, someone who fit that description that may have been seen in the area on those two dates. So they're actually asking neighbors to go back to those two dates and go through all their footage. That is pretty remarkable. And the specificity is. Is hopeful. I would think that they, they have a lead, that they're, that they have enough information on that they can be that specific.
TJ Holmes
They're so. It's, it's amazing how much help they are begging the public for. It's a, it's, it's incredible robes. And you know what? This has a lot to do with. There are no cameras out there. There are no people around. She's kind of out. That house is out in the middle of nowhere. This is a totally different situation. But, yes, this is where we are now. They're asking for everybody's help. The other major headline today, why the hell is who. Why is TMZ getting more ransom notes and demands and potential kidnappers and whatever else than anybody else? They've gotten another note.
Amy Robach
Well, I think perhaps because maybe they've been public about it. So whoever is contacting them knows that it's getting to them and it's getting attention. And there you go. Whether it's attention or actually action that they're looking for, they, I think, have recognized that it's producing results. And so, yes, tmz, we told you about this morning, the first video, or excuse me, the first ransom note. I guess that was the second ransom note. Now, this is another note.
TJ Holmes
Let's get this straight. They got two ransom notes from potential kidnappers. Now, the last two notes they've gotten is from someone who said, I want money and I'll tell you who the kidnapper is. Those are the last two emails they've got. The second one they're saying ropes. They got today. This morning, Thursday. Yeah. They're on the west coast and they're sharing the details and they're saying this one is now his words. How are Levin's words? Chilling.
Amy Robach
That's very disturbing. Yes. This one came to them around 11:00am Eastern Time, I think 8:00am Pacific Time, today, Thursday. And what Harvey Levin was able to tell us is that in this second email, the person who sent it was complaining, saying, I am not being taken serious seriously. And then he says, harvey Levin says this person who emailed them makes some ominous statements. They're cooperating with law enforcement by not giving us those specific details that are so ominous. So chilling. But he said the situation has changed from what we told you on Wednesday from this email to what we now know on Thursday.
TJ Holmes
Don't know what that means.
Amy Robach
And he explained why this person is asking for one bitcoin, which seems strange.
TJ Holmes
This seems strange. One bitcoin. It look, for the past several days has been around 65, 66, $67,000. That, in the grand scheme of things, doesn't seem like a whole lot. But this person claims that they need this money because they want to lay low, that they're going to become a national rat, quote, unquote. Yes, a national rat. And they're going to need to go away for a little while, and they're going to need some money. This is the argument that they're making. Robes. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense. You're not a nat. I don't know what the dynamic is here. You're telling me you can end this family and this country's nightmare. Give me 67 grand. First robes. What does that mean?
Amy Robach
Give me one bitcoin.
TJ Holmes
One.
Amy Robach
In addition to being afraid of retaliation for being a rat for, I guess, exposing the kidnapper, the writer or the author of this email also told TMZ that he's afraid he might be incriminated like that Carlos guy. That was, of course, the door dash delivery man who was detained, questioned, and then released. So obviously he's following the news. He knows what's going on. But it's interesting now that he's asking for this one bitcoin to lay low. And now we have the FBI now saying, hey, if you have information that leads to the arrest of someone or to the whereabouts of Nancy Guthrie, you're looking at 100 grand.
TJ Holmes
Double. They have doubled. This is what they've done today as well. Other headline doubled the reward. Was that to increase tips or was that to give a nod to this person? Like, dude, come on, we're offering more money for the reward than you're even asking. I don't know if that was to send a signal to this guy, but robes. It doesn't make sense. And I know there's a process, and sometimes that money, you don't get it until somebody's actually arrested and goes through the legal process. You don't get it immediately just by signal. That's true. So maybe they're thinking that I don't. But this doesn't make any sense. None of this makes sense.
Amy Robach
None of this makes sense. And what is perhaps even more chilling with all of that, this second email from this same person, Harvey Levin said that he ended his email with basically a threat. This is his final attempt to help. That is what he said. Like this is it. This is my last offer to help. And TMZ has been checking and they said at this point no money or Bitcoin has been deposited into his account. I'm. I don't know how bitcoin works transactionally. I didn't even know that you could see if someone has more or less. That's weird. That's kind of creepy to think that you can look and see what someone's bank activity is when it comes to cryptocurrency, but apparently that's the case.
TJ Holmes
You know the address. I guess that's like your account number. But yeah. This. This doesn't make sense. I am so. Either way, it's awful. If this person is just playing a prank and trying to take advantage, that's terrible. If this person actually does know what's going on and where Nancy Guthrie is and you're holding this family hostage even further, that is. Again, I try to leave space for whatever's going on in this person's life. I try to leave space that there might be a reason for fear, for fear of retaliation of the kidnapper. There might be. I try to leave space. But robes. If you can end this and you're not because you want one Bitcoin. That is hard to understand.
Amy Robach
It's hard to stomach.
TJ Holmes
That's hard. That's hard to stomach.
Amy Robach
It's hard to stomach. And especially with the urgency that we now know this 84 year old woman has been missing. Now, I mean, I can't even believe that this is 12 days now.
TJ Holmes
Correct. It's gonna be almost two full weeks.
Amy Robach
My goodness.
TJ Holmes
In a couple. Two full weeks. And this is the woman that they came out on day one and said we need to find her in 24 hours because if she doesn't have this medicine, she could die. It could be fatal. And now they've gotten settled into an investigation. Almost like send in the tips. What's the next thing? No press briefings. It's like they've settled in and trying to solve some long drawn out mystery when this is a matter of urgent life or death. This has taken a different turn. We do want to tell you we heard from Savannah Guthrie again today. We'll tell you what she said. A sweet, poignant and really a heartbreaking video she posted. Stay here.
Amy Robach
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TJ Holmes
A clear path and a team that.
Amy Robach
You can absolutely trust. So when it came to getting the best mortgage, we chose PennyMac. PennyMac is proud to be the official mortgage provider of Team USA and you.
TJ Holmes
Learn more at pennymac.com PennyMac Loan Services LLC, Equal Housing Lender and MLSID 35953 licensed by the Department Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act. Conditions and Restrictions may apply. All right, we continue here on Amy and tj Just wanted to hop on and give you a quick update. And it was worth it. We usually don't. Usually Rose put one up this late. Does it rise to the level? Should we update, folks? And yes, we have enough updates on the Savannah Guthrie's mom missing mom story. A new note that TMZ has received from someone saying they know the kidnapper, but they want one bitcoin. That's the update. Another, the reward has doubled to $100,000. And the FBI has now, using that surveillance video, have come up with a description of the suspect. A male, 59 to 510 with an average bill. What did you think, Rose? We heard from Savannah Guthrie again, but this is not the same type of video we've seen before with her face there and saying, please help. And that this was totally. She sent. How did this feel to you?
Amy Robach
She is trying, as she has with her siblings from the beginning, to humanize her mother. She is trying to appeal to whoever may have information, maybe not even the kidnapper themselves, but someone who knows who took their mom or who has their mom. And so, yes, she put out a nostalgic video from childhood showing basically just what it was like. Her as a little girl, her sister as a little girl, her brother as a little boy. Her mom is younger and. And just this young mother who has, you know, her three children around her. And yeah, it was. It was incredibly moving. I would say, you know, you. You are taken back in time. I think everybody has a video that looks like these videos that Savannah put up. Everyone can relate to that feeling, that nostalgic feeling of family. And in the caption, she said, our lovely mom. We will never give up on her. Thank you for your prayers and hope.
TJ Holmes
Maybe I took it. I didn't. I don't think she intended this, but it just felt like a tribute, you know, it just. It. Oh, I. It was tough.
Amy Robach
Yeah. My mind didn't go there. My mind was. She was desperate to humanize her mom. Like, see, this is my mom and we love her and you have a mom like this and you know what these videos are like and please help us.
TJ Holmes
You know what? I. Jesus Christ. I just thought about Kobe Bryant's daughter in this situation where you only see someone in a picture as a. A victim. Right? We can read. I've read for a long time that she's an 84 year old mother with health issues. But when you see her moving, when you see her alive, you see her. I say alive. And that. Not suggesting she's dead. I'm saying you see her more than just a freeze frame. And that's all we've seen. We see her interacting with. And yes, I say it reminded me of Kobe Bryant's daughter who died with him in that helicopter crash. I was at his funeral. We saw all these pictures of his daughter. All these pictures. But then at the funeral, they had videos rolling of her. I broke down because you find it was humanizing. And wow, you're seeing this human being. And to your point, robes. I see Nancy Guthrie different today than I have in the two weeks we've been covering it. Because of that video.
Amy Robach
She was brought to life.
TJ Holmes
You're right.
Amy Robach
For everybody 100%. And you see her vibrancy. You see her. Her. The. The fact that she's alive and vibrant and a mother, and. And you just feel like fighting for information to keep her alive, because there she is, alive on this video.
TJ Holmes
Hey, that was a good move. And I say that in that robes. It. It. It pulls at you a little differently. It's a mystery. We're curious. We're even frustrated now. You see that, and you're almost resilient yourself.
Amy Robach
Connected.
TJ Holmes
You're like, okay, let's go figure. Let's go get this lady home kind of a thing. So seeing that and you're adding to. Ro. What the. What is this person doing with the one bitcoin? How can you. Okay, fine. If just. You can't. Brady, for one bitcoin, if you know who this kidnapper is and you're sitting on it, negotiating for a bitcoin, I don't believe it. Let me just say that out loud. I actually don't.
Amy Robach
It doesn't make any sense.
TJ Holmes
It doesn't. But nobody's sitting around. I have a hard time believing there's somebody out there who actually knows and wants one bitcoin. Yeah.
Amy Robach
Yes. Because they want it right away. They want to deposit it in their account. And I think your point is. Yes, if they were to go through the proper channels and get the FBI reward, even if it is nearly double the amount they're asking for, there would be a lot of time and red tape in order for them to actually get their hands on.
TJ Holmes
But I am going with humanity a little bit in faith that there's not somebody out there doing this that knows they can solve the crime and is going to continue to put the family through it. For one bitcoin, I'm going to say this is a hoax, and that's going to help me sleep a little better.
Amy Robach
Yeah. And I think that that's probably more likely than not.
TJ Holmes
I hope so.
Amy Robach
I think it's more likely than not because also think about this. Obviously, if you're going to the FBI and you've got this vital information and you're saying you're afraid of retaliation, they'll probably make sure you're good until this person is arrested and they'll make sure you're safe. I, I would, maybe that's naive of me, but I would absolutely think that there are protections in place or they have the, the resources to make sure his fears are relieved.
TJ Holmes
Hold out hope that there's not somebody out there willing to continue to put the family through this for one bitcoin. And this is somebody trying to take advantage. That's awful too, but I'm holding on to that. Robes again, this is a we did not expect to be doing this update, but this is a story you all certainly are, but we are keeping a very close eye on. It's not even by the hour anymore. It's almost minute by minute that we're looking for these updates. As always, top right corner of your Apple podcast app where you see our show page has a button there that says follow click that you can always get our updates coming to you. There are plenty of breaking news updates these days. We will keep you posted on this one, folks. We always appreciate you spending some time with us. I'm TJ Holmes. On behalf of my dear Amy Robach, talk soon.
Amy Robach
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TJ Holmes
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Amy Robach
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In this breaking news episode, Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes provide critical updates on the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case — the mother of Savannah Guthrie. The episode centers on newly released details from the FBI about a suspect, a doubled reward for information, and a provocative ransom demand received by TMZ. The hosts dissect these developments, express their own emotional reactions, and share a deeply moving social media post from Savannah Guthrie aimed at humanizing her missing mother.
Breaking Update: The FBI has released a new, though still broad, physical description of the kidnapping suspect:
Forensic Confidence: The FBI used angles and measurements from doorbell camera footage to precisely estimate the suspect’s height.
Public Assistance Request: The FBI is urging local residents to review surveillance footage from as far back as January 1st for sightings of a man matching this description or the specific backpack.
Analysis: The lack of city surveillance and isolated location have made public tips especially vital.
TMZ’s Role: TMZ again receives direct communication, this time a chilling second ransom note allegedly from someone offering to identify the kidnapper for one bitcoin (~$67,000).
Nature of the Note:
Skepticism and Analysis:
Emotional Outreach: Savannah Guthrie released a nostalgia-filled home video, showing her mother Nancy in earlier years with her young children. The intent is to put a human face on the crisis, moving beyond statistics and news headlines.
Personal Impact:
On the backpack clue:
“The backpack is specific and it has reflective bands on basically the straps...because it's reflective, they could actually see it. And they're looking for that backpack in other videos.”
— Amy Robach, 04:00
On skepticism about the ransom demand:
“You're telling me you can end this family and this country's nightmare. Give me 67 grand. What does that mean?”
— TJ Holmes, 07:55
On the emotional weight of Savannah’s video:
“She was brought to life. You see her vibrancy...and you just feel like fighting for information to keep her alive, because there she is alive on this video.”
— Amy Robach, 17:29
On the logic of the potential informant:
“Obviously if you’re going to the FBI and you've got this vital information and you’re saying you’re afraid of retaliation, they’ll probably make sure you’re good until this person is arrested…they have the resources to make sure his fears are relieved.”
— Amy Robach, 19:11
The tone is earnest, urgent, and at times emotional. Amy and TJ alternate between disbelieving frustration at the oddities of the ransom note and heartfelt empathy toward the Guthrie family. The update concludes with a reaffirmation of hope and a determined focus on keeping the story in the public eye, recognizing the ever-evolving and minute-by-minute developments in the case.
This summary omits advertisements and sponsor messages, focusing solely on the episode’s investigative updates and human-interest content.