Why the Nancy Guthrie kidnappers would want Bitcoin

When a 5 p.m. PT ransom deadline passed in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, investigators were left with a key question: was the Bitcoin demand genuine, and who sent it? Two unverified notes sent to media claimed the 84-year-old, mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, had been abducted and demanded payment in Bitcoin.

Law enforcement said they were taking the messages seriously but had not confirmed their authenticity or received proof of life; there is no evidence the family was targeted for holding cryptocurrency, and authorities do not know why she was taken or whether her daughter’s fame played a role.

The demand for Bitcoin mirrors a wider shift in how criminals seek ransom payments. While high-profile kidnappings are rare in the United States, organized crime syndicates in Latin America, Asia, and West Africa engage in kidnapping, and that has helped spawn a growing kidnapping insurance industry.

United States

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