TUCSON, Ariz. – The alleged 5:00 p.m. Monday night deadline for a $6 million Bitcoin ransom to be paid in case of missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie has now passed, with no indication that the ransom has been paid. 

Alleged ransom notes, and the Guthrie family’s response to those alleged notes, have been dominant storylines as authorities continue to search for the mother of NBC’s “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie. 

Monday night marks the second deadline of a first alleged ransom note, which was received by local news outlet KOLD last Monday, and by TMZ last Tuesday. 

That original note had two deadlines. The first was last Thursday at 5:00 p.m. The second was set for tonight. 

After the Thursday night deadline passed, TMZ reported that the note contained a separate Monday deadline, and the outlet’s founder told Sean Hannity on Fox News’ “Hannity” that the second deadline is “far more consequential.” 

On Friday, a second alleged statement from captors was received by 13 News in Tucson. Reports indicate that the alleged captors are demanding $6 million in Bitcoin. TMZ said it verified the Bitcoin address is “real,” and noted that the purported ransom note included unreleased details about her disappearance.

Despite three separate pleas from the Guthrie family, posted to Savannah’s Instagram account, the family still has not received proof that Nancy is still alive. 

Authorities continue to analyze the notes as the hunt for Nancy continues. 

“We are aware of reports circulating about possible ransom note(s) regarding the investigation into Nancy Guthrie,” officials wrote in a statement last Tuesday afternoon.

The sheriff’s office added it is taking all tips and leads “very seriously.” 

“Anything that comes in, goes directly to our detectives who are coordinating with the FBI,” officials wrote.

INVESTIGATION INTO DISAPPEARANCE OF SAVANNAH GUTHRIE’S MOTHER TAKES DARK TURN AND MORE TOP HEADLINES

On Wednesday night, Savannah, sister Annie and brother Camron spoke directly to the alleged ransomers in an emotional plea, asking them to contact the family. The alleged note reportedly does not contain any contact information from the senders. 

Savannah opened the family’s plea by thanking supporters for their prayers before describing her mother as the heart of their family and making a direct appeal for contact, stressing Nancy Guthrie’s fragile health and urgent need for medication.

“Our mom is a kind, faithful, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light,” Savannah Guthrie said. “She’s funny, spunky. She has grandchildren that adore her and crowd around her and cover her with kisses. She loves fun and adventure. She is a devoted friend. She is full of kindness and knowledge. Talk to her and you’ll see.”

Camron took to Savannah’s Instagram in a second video, pleading with the alleged captors to reach out to the family.

“Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you,” he said. “We haven’t heard anything directly. We need you to reach out, and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward. But first we have to know that you have our mom. We want to talk to you, and we are waiting for contact.” 

On Saturday, the family sent a third message, saying they “will pay” for the return of their mother. 

In an interview with Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier on “Special Report,” FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed federal officials are aware of a ransom note while reiterating that local police are acting as the lead investigative agency in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. 

“The local authorities notified the FBI of it, and we are working with them in any manner they choose,” Patel said. “But remember, they’re the lead right now, and we have to respect that. But we are there to help them in any way we can – on ransom notes or otherwise.”

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Retired FBI special agent Jason Pack told Fox News Digital the letters will need to be authenticated, cautioning that scammers are known to take advantage of families involved in missing person cases.

‪”Scammers will do things that are very distasteful, like scamming the loved ones of people missing, but the police have to take it seriously until they can prove it’s not real,” Pack said. “And it ties up resources that could be devoted to an investigation.”

‬Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her Tucson home at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday, according to the sheriff’s office. 

While officials did not immediately elaborate on the circumstances of her disappearance, they said they believe Guthrie was either kidnapped or abducted.

A law enforcement source told Fox News Digital that there were “blood drops” leading from the entryway outside down the house’s pathway toward the driveway. 

Guthrie did not attend her Sunday church service, leading another churchgoer to notify the family, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.

Family members went to the house at about 11 a.m. and called 911 around noon.

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE ASKS FOR PRAYER AS HER MOTHER REMAINS MISSING: ‘WE NEED YOU’

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department told Fox News Digital on Monday that officials believe Nancy Guthrie was either kidnapped or abducted.

It is unclear if she was targeted, or if the suspected kidnapping was random.

Savannah Guthrie spoke out on Instagram in a post Monday, writing “We need you.”

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“We believe in prayer. We believe in voices raised in unison, in love, in hope. We believe in goodness. We believe in humanity. Above all, we believe in Him,” she wrote. “Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant. Raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment.”

Anyone with information on the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie is asked to call the tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

An Arizona restaurant is making waves online for saying that it is giving free meals to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and other federal law enforcement personnel. 

In a recent video shared on social media by the outlet Pulso, Sammy’s Mexican Grill is highlighted as a restaurant that respects federal immigration enforcement agents, and even offers them free meals. 

In the video of a Spanish interview translated to English, Jorge Rivas, who owns the restaurant, says, “Everyone who works for ICE, all federal agents can come to Sammy’s Mexican Grill. Here, they will be treated with respect and as they deserve.”

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In a recent podcast interview published on The Ray Stevens Show on Feb. 4, Rivas further explained that the restaurant has long displayed a sign welcoming law enforcement and offering them free meals.

“We here at Sammy, which is the name of our restaurant, Sammy’s Mexican Grill. We have a sign if you come into the door into the restaurant, it just says, ‘Welcome to Sammy’s, where law enforcement always eats free,’” Rivas said. 

“And we have this sign for about five, probably five years or more,” Rivas added. “And that’s because we personally feel that it is important to recognize the sacrifice that law enforcement does every day protecting every single citizen, putting their life on the line, even though they don’t know personally who are they protecting. But, you know, you and I know that once we’re in trouble, we call 911, and we expect someone to show up as soon as possible.” 

Rivas is an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump and has been active in state Republican politics. He ran unsuccessfully in the GOP primary for Arizona’s 7th Congressional District last year.

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San Diego Red reported that the restaurant has faced fierce criticism online, and has been “inundated with a renewed wave of threatening phone calls, hateful messages on social media, and calls for a boycott.”

Tensions over ICE have increased after the death of Renee Nicole Good, who was shot and killed in January in Minneapolis by an ICE agent after she allegedly attempted to ram an officer with her vehicle after refusing to exit it. 

Protests against federal agents have continued to escalate since the Border Patrol killing of Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.

In January, ICE reported that it has had an over 1,300% increase in assaults, a 3,200% increase in vehicle attacks aimed at officers and an 8,000% increase in death threats.

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The restaurant previously faced backlash in 2016 for the owner publicly supporting Trump’s presidential campaign. 

Rivas told Fox News Digital it was important to give law enforcement support, particularly ICE agents who are “being attacked.”

“We must give them our support,” he said, adding it was “not correct” if they didn’t get the respect they deserved.

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Beef is at record high prices and Americans are buying more of it than ever.

In 2025, shoppers spent more than $45 billion on beef, buying more than 6.2 billion pounds, according to data from Beef Research, a contractor for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. That’s enough to give everyone on the planet three hamburgers.

Compared to the year prior, spending rose about 12%, while the amount of beef sold climbed more than 4%. In short, consumers aren’t just paying higher prices; they’re buying more beef, too.

That demand is also reflected in the meat case, where beef accounts for more than half of all fresh meat dollars, far outpacing other protein options like chicken, pork and seafood.

THE SINGLE CRUSHING PROBLEM AMERICAN CATTLE RANCHERS WISH TRUMP WOULD FIX INSTEAD

According to U.S. Department of Agriculture data, the average price of beef in grocery stores climbed from about $8.40 per pound in March to $10.10 per pound by December 2025, a roughly 20% increase.

Economists say that deep-rooted demand is helping drive prices higher and there’s little sign it will ease anytime soon.

Glynn Tonsor, a professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University, told Fox News Digital that strong consumer demand continues to push beef prices upward.

“There’s nothing that forces me or you or anybody else when we go into the grocery store to pay more for beef. People are choosing to,” he said. “The consumer desire for beef is strong and, regardless of the supply-side situation, that has the effect of pulling prices up.”

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But even with strong consumer appetite keeping the market buoyant, ranchers are facing challenges on the other end of the supply chain.

Years of drought, high feed costs and an aging ranching population have thinned herds across the country, leaving the U.S. cattle supply at its lowest level in more than 70 years.

Derrell Peel, a professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University, said the current supply crunch won’t be fixed overnight.

“The fact of the matter is there’s really nothing anybody can do to change this very quickly,” Peel said. “We’re in a tight supply situation that took several years to develop, and it’ll take several years to get out of it.”

Meanwhile, the Trump administration says it is working to ease beef prices by temporarily increasing imports from Argentina, while also laying out longer-term plans to bolster the U.S. cattle industry.