Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Savannah Guthrie, has been missing since Saturday, January 31. As the search continues for the 84-year-old, the family has received two alleged ransom notes. They have also agreed to one demanding $6 million in a Bitcoin transfer.
Notably, the deadline for the ransom note expires on Monday at 5 p.m. While the family's plea to pay the amount is seen by many as an act of desperation, there is, in fact, a well-thought-out strategy behind it, according to experts.
Recently, a criminal defense attorney wrote on Fox News that the Bitcoin transfer to the account linked to the ransom demand could provide investigators with a crucial lead to the suspect.
Nancy Guthrie Ransom: Ex-FBI Agent Provides Clue
Josh Ritter, a criminal defense attorney, said on Fox & Friends that the number linked to the Bitcoin account for the ransom could lead investigators to the kidnappers. Ritter argued that Bitcoin are not as secure as many people may think, and information on the account holders could be tracked down easily.
“One interesting thing is that these wallets have a number, it's like an account number, and they can, they keep this information, if that account number has ever been used for any prior illegal activity and they can monitor that account number,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“One interesting thing is that these wallets have a number, it's like an account number, and they can, they keep this information, if that account number has ever been used for any prior illegal activity and they can monitor that account number,” he said.
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Ritter argued that if the transfer is made, at some point the people behind the account will convert it into real money to use it, and that moment could potentially lead the FBI to them.
Bitcoin Account Remains Empty
TMZ reports that the Bitcoin account that was provided for the transfer of the ransom in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case remains unfunded, with just a few hours left before the 5 p.m. deadline.
Per the outlet, the account, which is publicly viewable, has a balance of zero and shows no history of transactions, as of 2:40 p.m. ET.