Pima County Sheriff's Department releases two ransom notes in effort to identify sender

TUCSON, Ariz. — The Pima County Sheriff's Department released two ransom notes Friday in hopes that the public can help identify who wrote them in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case.

The notes, which contain demands for money, show a distinct writing style that investigators believe could be recognized by someone who knows the author. Officials said they decided to make the notes public after other leads did not produce a suspect.

Nancy Guthrie was taken from her home in the Tucson area. Detectives have not said how much money the notes demand or exactly when they were received. The sheriff's department described the language in the notes as unusual but gave no further details on the wording.

"We are asking the community to look at these notes and see if anything stands out," a department spokesman said. "The phrasing is unique enough that someone may recognize it from past conversations, emails or other writing."

Investigators have interviewed family members and neighbors. They have also reviewed security camera footage from the area around the time of the abduction. So far no arrests have been made.

The department did not release the full text of the notes. Instead it provided images that show portions of the handwritten pages. Officials said they held back some details to avoid compromising the investigation.

Anyone who thinks they may know the author is asked to contact the Pima County Sheriff's Department tip line. The case remains active, and detectives continue to follow new information as it comes in.