Mixed Messaging of Ransom Note Addressing Nancy Guthrie's Alleged Kidnapping

What this episode is about

The recent ransom note regarding Nancy Guthrie's alleged kidnapping has been confirmed by authorities as the same message sent to multiple media outlets, raising questions about its origin and authenticity. Key details include references to a damaged floodlight and an Apple Watch, both of which may reveal critical information about the circumstances surrounding her situation, as well as mention that Nancy is "okay" but scared, suggesting she is aware of the demands outlined in the note.

Key takeaways

• When ransom notes include specific evidence, they transition from mere threats to serious FBI investigations – watch placement matters.
• The curious case of an Apple Watch: a simple device or a kidnapper's key to credibility? It's all in the details.
• Media timing is crucial; did the kidnapper capitalize on stories or possess insider knowledge? The timeline is suspiciously tight.
• Ruse or reality? Kidnapper tactics often blur lines between genuine threats and deceptive familial manipulations – trust, but verify.
• In the world of crime, bold claims can be a cover; sometimes, the truth lies in the subtlety of specificity.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Megyn Kelly (Guest) · 4 min speaking
• Harvey Leven (Guest) · 3 min speaking
• Aaron Bernett (Guest) · 1 min speaking
• Jim (Guest) · 2 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Apple Watch, Nancy Guthrie, Harvey Levan, Aaron Bernett
2. 3:00 – 6:00: Harvey Levan, Aaron Bernett
3. 9:00 – 11:15: TMZ, Birch Gold Group

Notable quotes from "Mixed Messaging of Ransom Note Addressing Nancy Guthrie's Alleged Kidnapping"

• The ransom note. the authorities confirmed yesterday that it was the same note sent to all three media outlets, TMZ and two Tucson local television stations. That was a question Jim had been asking from the beginning. And.

  about TMZ · at 0:00

• They began the letter by saying that Nancy is okay but scared. So they say she is okay and also that she's aware of the letter and the demands that Nancy Guthrie herself is aware of.

  about Nancy Guthrie · at 1:08

• My sense is this is whoever sent this letter is based in the Tucson area. And I say that because of a reference made in the letter, a sentence in the letter.

  about Harvey Levan · at 6:04

• That gold has risen over 700% in the last 20 years. and a never- ending list of reasons smart Americans diversify a portion of their savings into precious metals with Birch…

  about Birch Gold Group · at 10:12

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Nancy Guthrie — Person · Missing person / alleged kidnapping victim (referenced subject) · 1 mention · first at 1:24
  The discussion centers on a ransom note claiming Nancy is alive, scared, and being held near Tucson; her Apple Watch and home flood lights are cited as purported proof-of-knowledge details.
• Harvey Levan — Person · Referenced media executive / commentator relaying alleged note details · 2 mentions · first at 0:15
  He is quoted describing contents of the ransom note (Apple Watch placement, flood light, Tucson-area inference) and offering analysis that the FBI would treat as potentially significant.
• Aaron Bernett — Person · Referenced interviewer / TV host (clip source) · 2 mentions · first at 0:20
  He is the on-air interviewer to whom Harvey Levin (spelled 'Levan' in transcript) provided details about the ransom note; the episode plays/quotes that exchange.
  Three different recipients. And now Harvey Levan is offering new details of what was in the letter. Here's a little of what he told Aaron Bernett last night. S the Monday deadline is far more consequential. I will say this that they.

Companies & orgs

• TMZ — Company · Recipient of ransom note · 1 mention · first at 9:49
  One of the media outlets that received the ransom note, discussed as part of the investigation into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance.

Products & tech

• Apple Watch — Product · Key evidence · 3 mentions · first at 0:26
  Mentioned in the ransom note as a detail only the kidnapper would know, suggesting its placement is a critical clue for the FBI.
  So that's very interesting the part about the watch guys because one of the questions at the presser yesterday was okay you know you're saying in this note they reference the Apple Watch and.

Sponsors

• Birch Gold Group — Product · Sponsor · 1 mention · first at 10:21
  Promoted as a service for diversifying savings into precious metals, mentioned in an ad read during the podcast.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 the ransom note. Uh the authorities confirmed yesterday that it was the same note sent to all three media outlets, TMZ and two Tucson local television stations. That was a a question Jim had been asking from the beginning. And we're told by the FBI, same note, uh three different recipients. And now Harvey Levan is offering new details of what was in the letter. Here's a little of what he told Aaron Bernett last night. S

0:23 the Monday deadline is far more consequential. I will say this that they do mention an Apple Watch as the FBI said and they do mention the flood light, the damaged flood light. There is something else um and it is the placement of the Apple Watch which has not come out. Uh and if that placement is accurate um I'm sure that is something that puts this letter on the FBI's radar. uh they went to great lengths in sending this email to us um in making sure that it stays anonymous. I don't know that the FBI uh is at all close to figuring out where it came from. They began the letter I I I don't think I'm giving anything away here.

1:08 They began the letter by saying that um that Nancy is uh is okay but scared. So they say she is okay and also that she's aware of the letter and the demands

1:24 that Nancy Guthrie herself is aware of it. Yes. So that's very interesting the part about the watch guys because one of the questions at the presser yesterday was okay you know you're saying in this note they reference the Apple Watch and something about the flood lights on her home. Well you can see the flood lights on her home from outside. Like there are pictures right now on Fox News Digital showing them. You know, it's not like a big news thing. And the reports about her Apple Watch hit, I think, on Monday, like right after this story first became national news. So, and and the ransom notes, as far as we know, did not go to the to the media outlets until we believe Tuesday. Um, so the the question was asked of the FBI like, you know, why do we believe these are real as opposed to somebody who just heard information in the news and then tried to capitalize on this family's pain? And the FBI

2:16 director seemed like he didn't say, "Oh, no, there's other stuff in the note." He was like, "Yeah, that's one of the things we're considering." But now you have Harvey Leven saying, "No, no, no. or something specifically about the placement of the Apple Watch, which he suggested only the kidnapper could know if the placement of the watch as described in this note were correct. You know, if the person maybe they said she had it right on her bedside table next to a picture of the one grandchild and a notepad, you know, maybe it was something that truly only the kidnapper could know. So, that's one of the reasons why he's taking it very specifically or very very seriously. Um, there's one other thing. There's two other things I want to play, but let's just start there. Does that What do you make of Harvey's take on the specifics of the note? I'd like to know if those if that note is how similar is it to the

3:11 one that the guy got arrested for the So that first and foremost um is kind of sparking my interest because I I I need to totally rule that guy out for everything else which law enforcement may have done that already. Um but the specific

3:24 they're saying they're not related. Okay. I mean look I think the FBI's doing what they should be doing first and foremost which is taking it seriously. It doesn't mean it's real. it means they're taking it seriously because they don't know if it's not real. And so, uh, you know, how how much do people vary in where they put their watches or did they put the watch in a certain place and then mention that, um, you know, I don't know that. And so I think speculating on on the reality or the realism of these of these notes, even though they sound very compelling, um it it may just it may not be anything or it may be again, Megan, 41 minutes in a home before you abduct somebody. It it just may be the fact that people who were in there know her and know that house and they're using this as a ruse and they can say these specific things because they were in there for that long whether they meant to to hurt her or not

4:21 or wake her up or not. H Wait, are you suggesting like if they if they took her life and now they're just play acting that there's a kidnapping underway?

4:33 It very well could be. I mean that that would not be the first time that that has happened and it would not be the first time uh that people have gone into what if it was a sexual assault as we were talking about earlier. I doubt that that individual that would go into the house and do a sexual assault of that nature uh for of an elderly woman is going to go down the the the road of this ruse. So those wouldn't be probably connected. But a family member, we have seen in the past where they have tried to send the police down another road, either blaming somebody or some type of ruse. So, I could see that occurring, especially if the death was not intentional.

5:11 Let me get to two other soundbes from Harvey describing what's in the note. Um, here's ST 6A to Hannity.

5:18 I don't know, but the way it's written, they say this is it. It's the only communication and the police aren't going to be able to help you. They're that bold saying that there is a phrase in this email that absolutely makes me believe this person who wrote this and if they're telling the truth that Nancy is in with a within a radius of the Tucson area, not in Tucson right now, but in a radius. It could be New Mexico. I don't know how far, but I think at least what the authorities have is they've got a radius. And that's something.

5:56 There's a little bit more on her allegedly being in the Tucson area where he spoke with Aaron Bernett. Sat 6.

6:04 My sense is this is whoever sent this letter is based in the Tucson area. And I say that because of a reference made in the letter, a sentence in the letter. Um, it feels to me reading it that this is Tucsonbased and um and and I think that's a fair analysis based on, you know, my discussions today in the office and just reading this letter. So, this doesn't feel like this is somebody out of state or out of the country who hatched this plan. It feels more localized. Um, and then today on his show, he expanded even further saying uh why he believes she might be held in the Tucson area if this notes real. Quote, "There is a demand of millions in Bitcoin for NY's safe return, and there is a time frame for how long it would take Nancy to be returned to Tucson after getting the money." Now, I disagree with Harvey.

7:06 That does not mean that this person is not overseas. He could be overseas and this whole thing is a fraud. He's trying to take advantage of Nancy Guthri's disappearance. He could absolutely be sitting someplace in India doing this whole thing. Harvey's suggesting if it's real then the person's got her near Tucson because obviously he's suggesting Chad that they could have her back very quickly once they get their millions.

7:34 Yeah. And I think what it what it really boils down to, I mean, if we're just using common sense here, it's not like they took her to an airport or even or or even an FBO and got her on a private plane, right? You got to have an ID unless you got some, you know, janky airfield behind your house in the middle of the desert and threw her on some prop plane. Probably very highly unlikely. So, we can probably eliminate that aspect. So, where is she? Does this mean she's right in that immediate area? I don't know. It's hard for me to believe that you would risk getting in a car and driving states away with a her in the vehicle, risking getting pulled over, risking getting in an accident, anything like that. I I call

8:19 That's a good point. I mean, how seriously should we take these notes, Jim? All right, let's like break it down. In the cases I've worked over the years with some similarity to this one or certainly I'm I'm familiar with. Uh it's we'll just focus on the note now. It's either a hoax or it's real. And uh I'm sure investigators are looking at both uh uh possibilities there. If it's a hoax, it could be for three separate reasons. Just an opportunist saying, "Hey, I'm going to make some quick money off this like you just described.

8:48 They're in India, Eastern Europe somewhere. They have nothing to do with the case." Um if it's uh it just could be harassment, just someone could be some college kids having fun with this. Hey, I know how to, you know, put these emails together. You know, I watched, you know, Criminal Minds back in the day and they put something together or, and this brings us back now to what is the reason for the abduction, for profit or is it for uh a revenge uh taking of this woman and and possibly doing bad things to her? And they put this out, as I described yesterday, a po post offense manipulation of investigation, communication, lots of syllables. I coined that term because I was seeing these things happening in other cases I worked over the years uh certainly back in the ear late 90s and early 2000s and and these are it's a whole sort of separate set of letters that people were putting together. So is someone

9:37 sophisticated enough who took Mrs. Guthrie then put her somewhere not still alive and not alive and said, "Hey, I'm going to become a suspect. I better put this uh this fake uh email out to two news stations and TMZ." Why TMZ? I'm not sure. Uh, but that's probably what the person watches and that's a clue too about who this person is. So, but so the investigators have to handle this as being real. I've never said they shouldn't, but they also have to consider other options here.

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Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Mixed Messaging of Ransom Note Addressing Nancy Guthrie's Alleged Kidnapping"?

Megyn Kelly (Guest), Harvey Leven (Guest), Aaron Bernett (Guest), Jim (Guest).

What is "Mixed Messaging of Ransom Note Addressing Nancy Guthrie's Alleged Kidnapping" about?

The recent ransom note regarding Nancy Guthrie's alleged kidnapping has been confirmed by authorities as the same message sent to multiple media outlets, raising questions about its origin and authenticity. Key details include references to a damaged floodlight and an Apple Watch, both of which may reveal critical information about the circumstances surrounding her situation, as well as mention…

What is mentioned in this Megyn Kelly episode?

6 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Nancy Guthrie, Apple Watch, Harvey Levan, TMZ, Aaron Bernett. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Mixed Messaging of Ransom Note Addressing Nancy Guthrie's Alleged Kidnapping"?

The episode runs 11 min; the transcript is about 2,058 words in 20 timestamped sections.

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