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Third email in Nancy Guthrie case: Man claims he knows kidnapper identity, suggests doubled reward ‘to discredit me’
A third email to the TMZ claims to know Nancy Guthrie's kidnapper, demanding $100,000 in Bitcoin for the information.
The Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case took another dramatic turn after news outlet TMZ reported it had received a third email from a man on February 13. In the email, the man claimed he knew the identity of her alleged kidnapper. The man also upped his demand price from one bitcoin in exchange for the information.
Read more: Nancy Guthrie case: Who is the man with the backpack FBI wants to speak with?
What does the TMZ email say?
According to TMZ's report about the email received by them, the sender says he is reaching out to the outlet because he does not trust law enforcement. “You don’t trust me, and I don’t trust you,” the man allegedly wrote. He further claimed that the decision to double the reward to $100,000 was designed “to discredit me.”
TMZ said the sender reiterated his demand for cryptocurrency, specifically Bitcoin, in exchange for revealing the alleged kidnapper’s identity.
He wants the $100,000 FBI prize now. He is requesting a $50,000 portion of Bitcoin. He intends to get an additional $50,000 in bitcoin after disclosing the information. He says that until the kidnapper is captured, he won't take out the first $50,000.
When he receives the first payment, he promises to give up "the name of the main individual."
The email marks the third such communication received by the outlet.
The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff have not publicly confirmed the authenticity of the claims in the latest email.
Read more: Nancy Guthrie update: FBI releases new details about suspect, increases reward
FBI increases prize money for information
Since the mother of "TODAY" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie vanished from her home on February 1, the agency claims to have received over 13,000 public tips.
The FBI released the doorbell camera video on February 12 and has released the details of the suspect in the video. The suspect was carrying a black, 25-litre Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack, and authorities said they are searching for a person with an average build who is between 5'9" and 5'10".
Given the volume of public tips, the reward for information that results in an arrest or conviction has been raised by the FBI to $100,000 to increase the credibility of the information received.
