The demand for Bitcoin in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie indicates how crypto is becoming a more common element in physical crimes

The shocking disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of ‘Today’ show host Savannah Guthrie, took a new turn on Tuesday when a ransom letter was received. Later that day, an Arizona CBS-affiliate received a similar letter. The senders demanded that millions of dollars be paid in Bitcoin.

Although the letters have not been verified, the sheriff of Arizona’s Pima County said he was not dismissing these claims. The sheriff’s office also stated that they were aware of reports about the ransom notes and were taking all leads very seriously.

In the case of the TMZ letter, the outlet did not disclose the Bitcoin address—a term that describes a long string of random letters and numbers similar to a bank account—but confirmed it was a legitimate address on the blockchain. The outlet said the note had a deadline for the ransom, as well as details of an item damaged at the victim’s Tucson-area home.

The blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis did not speculate on the authenticity of the letters. However, it did mention that physical crimes involving crypto have increased. “There has been a concerning rise in physical coercion attacks and kidnapping, in which criminals use violence to force victims or their families to transfer assets,” said a Chainalysis spokesperson in a note.

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on Sunday and is believed to have been taken from her home against her will. There was blood inside the home, according to the [source not specified], and there were signs of forced entry at the home, according to the [source not specified]. The 84-year-old was last seen on Saturday night after family members dropped her off at home following a dinner. Her relatives checked her home the following day after being told that she did not arrive at church.

Nancy Guthrie’s daughter, Savannah, is a co-anchor of the popular NBC News morning show ‘Today’. She was preparing to host coverage of the Winter [event not specified] from Milan, Italy, but rushed to Arizona to be with family following her mother’s disappearance.

The demand for Bitcoin in Guthrie’s kidnapping comes amid an increase in violent incidents where criminals have targeted crypto owners, including notable cases that occurred recently in [locations not specified] and [locations not specified]. These attacks, known as “[attack name not specified]”, typically target people who have publicly disclosed that they own a significant amount of crypto. There is no evidence that Nancy Guthrie is a crypto owner, and if the random note is genuine, the kidnappers appear to be relying on the partial anonymity provided by Bitcoin.