Nancy Guthrie Case: Ex-FBI Agent Proposes Bold Bitcoin Ransom Move to Uncover New Clues

A former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent has suggested a bold move as a step toward gathering any possible information about the missing Nancy Guthrie.

The former agent proposed that the Guthrie family should pay half of one bitcoin that was demanded in purported ransom notes to check if it leads to the 84-year-old's whereabouts.

Investigation authorities and Nancy's family have received several alleged ransom notes in the weeks following the suspected kidnapping of Nancy.

Earlier this week, TMZ received two alleged ransom notes making a peculiar demand -- one bitcoin worth about $72,000, in exchange for information about the mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie. The ransom notes also allegedly mentioned that if their demands are met, then they would deliver the kidnappers on a "silver platter."

Amid this, former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer suggested that the family could test the waters by paying half the ransom. "Tickling the wire in this case would be putting half a bitcoin and seeing what happens to it," she told Newsweek.

"Do they take it? Do they convert it to pesos? It's internationally tracked. How does it come out into currency? Do they just leave it there?" Coffindaffer said, theorizing that the abductors took Nancy across the border to Mexico.

"Once it's gone, it's going to be gone. But I would want that last bread crumb. I think it would be worth it to me," she said.

Among the several purported ransom notes, the latest notes were sent from the same anonymous person who demanded one bitcoin two months ago, reports The New York Post.

According to the news outlet, in the first note, the sender alleged that Nancy had passed away, but added that the earlier offer "to deliver the kidnappers on a silver platter" still stands. In another note, the sender reportedly said they had seen Nancy alive with the captors in Mexico's Sonora state.

The two ransom notes were sent just as Nancy's daughter, Savannah, made her return to NBC's Today show, nearly two months after her mother's disappearance.

Before her return, the 54-year-old spoke about the "hard" decision to rejoin work during her first interview since Nancy's abduction, as she spoke with longtime colleague and friend Hoda Kotb.

Savannah said that while it is "hard to imagine" returning to work during this time at a place that is "such a place of joy and lightness," she also felt like it is her "purpose."

Nancy was reported missing from her Tucson, Arizona, home on February 1, after she did not show up at a scheduled church service. More than two months since her disappearance, authorities are yet to name any suspects or make any arrests.

Till now, authorities have detected signs of forced entry into Nancy's house, multiple ransom notes and blood on the front porch. The FBI also released surveillance footage showcasing a masked individual seemingly trying to tamper with the camera. Police believe the person was armed.

Since her disappearance, Nancy's children -- Savannah, Annie and Camron have posted multiple videos on social media platforms appealing to their mother's abductor to return her safely. The family is offering a $1 million reward for any information that could help find her. The FBI is also offering a $100,000 reward.