Story perspectives

Sheriff Releases Ransom Notes Demanding $6 Million Bitcoin, Claiming Victim Dead

8/1/2026

Summary

Story summary

Sheriff’s Department released two ransom notes on July 31 2026 about Nancy Guthrie’s February 1 kidnapping.
The note sent to KOLD-TV on February 2 demanded $4 million Bitcoin, later $6 million by February 5.
It warned death if payment was not received by February 9.
A note on February 6 claimed Guthrie had died and said she was “buried in nature now.”
Both notes referenced a white smartwatch near the bed and a smashed backyard floodlight.

History

Historical Context

On 18 February 2016 the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center paid a $17,000 Bitcoin ransom after a malicious email attachment encrypted patient records. That incident marked a sharp rise in ransomware targeting hospitals, which Symantec’s 2017 report tied to strains such as Locky and led to tighter cybersecurity standards. The same cryptocurrency-based extortion model underlies the February 2026 kidnapping demands of $4 million and $6 million, showing the enduring threat.

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Story summary

Sheriff’s Department released two ransom notes on July 31 2026 about Nancy Guthrie’s February 1 kidnapping.
The note sent to KOLD-TV on February 2 demanded $4 million Bitcoin, later $6 million by February 5.
It warned death if payment was not received by February 9.
A note on February 6 claimed Guthrie had died and said she was “buried in nature now.”
Both notes referenced a white smartwatch near the bed and a smashed backyard floodlight.

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