Sheriff releases two ransom notes from early in Nancy Guthrie case

The Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI Phoenix Field Office have released two ransom notes that were sent to Nancy Guthrie's family in the early days of her disappearance case.

The purpose of the release is "to ask the public for help in identifying their writer."

The sheriff's department statement: the notes "reveal distinctive patterns of word choice, syntax, and phraseology" reflecting the writer's "unique linguistic style," offering "valuable insight into the person's mindset, motives, and the evolution of their tone over time"; characteristics "may be recognizable to someone who knows or has interacted with the notes' writer" such as a "friend, family member, coworker, classmate, or acquaintance."

The update comes nearly six months after Guthrie, 84, first went missing on Feb. 1. It is unclear whether Guthrie is dead.

First note (sent Feb. 2 to CBS Tucson affiliate KOLD-TV): "We have your mother Nancy... She is safe but scared." And: "If payment is not received by the last deadline on [Feb. 9 at 5 p.m.], she will be killed."

Second note (sent Feb. 6 to same outlet, addressed to whole family): "We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition... We never intended to hurt her, that was not our intention. She perished shortly after she was taken. We believe it was heart related. She is buried in nature now."

Guthrie's health was "severely fragile" and she "required continued reliance on a pacemaker and daily medication."

Savannah Guthrie, in a video plea this week: "I'm asking you, begging you, to do the right thing now. Make the right choice. Help us find her. Tell us where to look for her."

The sheriff's department urging public: "Regardless of how insignificant you think your information may be... please contact us."