Suspicious transactions discovered on cryptocurrency accounts in the Nancy Guthrie case

Nancy Guthrie.Credit : Savannah Guthrie/Instagram

NEED TO KNOW

Activity has been observed in the Bitcoin wallet connected with a ransom note allegedly sent by Nancy Guthrie’s kidnappers, PEOPLE can confirm
Nancy, the mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, was last seen on the evening of Jan. 31, hours before authorities say she was forcibly taken from her Tucson, Ariz., home
The activity comes hours after police released images and video of an armed subject captured on Nancy’s doorbell camera

Activity has been observed in the Bitcoin account connected with a ransom note sent following the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, who has been missing for 10 days.

A source confirms to PEOPLE that a small amount of money, in the “hundreds of dollars,” has been transmitted to the Bitcoin wallet connected with the initial ransom note, which was sent to multiple media outlets, including local news outlet KGUN and TMZ. TMZ was first to report the activity in the Bitcoin wallet on Tuesday, Feb. 10.

The activity in the wallet is “less than $300,” according to KGUN.

An individual was also detained by police for questioning in connection with Nancy’s abduction, police said on Tuesday.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department detained the individual in a location south of Tucson. Officials are preparing to search a location linked to the individual, per ABC News, which was first to report the news. The subject was detained during a traffic stop south of Tucson, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.

Missing-person poster for Nancy Guthrie.Pima County Sheriff’s Department

As previously reported by PEOPLE, the first alleged ransom note was sent on the evening of Feb. 2, one day after Nancy was reported missing. It included a description of a damaged floodlight and the location of an Apple Watch left behind in her house, along with a demand for $4 million to be paid to the Bitcoin account by Feb. 5.

If the initial demand was not met, the ransom note allegedly demanded $6 million, to be paid by Feb. 9.

On Feb. 9, after the 5 p.m. local time deadline had passed, an FBI spokesperson said that the agency was “not aware” of any “continued” contact between the Guthrie family and the alleged kidnappers.

News of activity in the Bitcoin account follows an extensive search earlier on Feb. 10, in which multiple law enforcement agencies combed the neighborhood where Savannah’s sister, Annie Guthrie, lives.

A Day-by-Day Timeline of Nancy Guthrie’s Disappearance and Criminal Investigation

Savannah Guthrie’s Mom Disappeared 10 Days Ago. Inside the Desperate Search as Authorities Race Against Time (Exclusive)

The search came hours after authorities released multiple images and video of an armed subject believed to be involved in Nancy’s disappearance. In the images, a person can be seen with a mask over their face wearing gloves, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a post on X, noting that the subject appears to have tampered with the victim’s doorbell camera.

Nest camera footage captures individual at Nancy Guthrie’s home on night she was abducted.Pima County Sheriff’s Department

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“Working with our partners — as of this morning, law enforcement has uncovered these previously inaccessible new images showing an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance,” Nanos’ post continued.

Nancy was last seen at her Tucson, Ariz. home after being dropped off by her family at 9:48 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31. The mother of three is believed to have been taken against her will in the early morning hours of Sunday, Feb. 1, authorities said previously.