Authorities have been engaged in an elaborate investigation concerning the kidnapping of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy, since February 1, and now a cryptocurrency expert believes they may finally have an edge over the perpetrator.
Following the 84-year-old’s abduction, multiple ransom notes demanding millions in bitcoin were shared with myriad media outlets.
While no transaction was made to the digital currency address mentioned in the notes until early Tuesday, a deposit was traced on Tuesday night.
This currency exchange apparently has opened doors for law enforcement to apprehend Nancy’s captor.
Crypto expert explained how Nancy’s abductor sabotaged themselves by demanding ransom in bitcoin
According to Page Six, $152 worth of bitcoin was deposited into the kidnapper’s cryptocurrency wallet on February 10, but it remains unclear if the FBI made the transaction or if it was another party that administered the exchange.
The publication spoke to Bezalel Eithan Raviv, the CEO and founder of Lionsgate Network, a crypto recovery service with expertise in blockchain forensics, earlier this week.
He informed them that making small transactions is a “very simple tactic” to intercept criminal network crypto assets.
Raviv added that Nancy’s kidnapper “showed his Achilles [heel] to everyone who understands blockchain forensics” when they provided the bitcoin address.
He interpreted the $152 transaction to the alleged ransom bitcoin wallet as a “small test transfer” used to confirm that the wallet is active and to trigger blockchain monitoring tools.
The tech entrepreneur noted that, despite misconceptions, Bitcoin is “not anonymous” and is very much traceable.
“The moment funds move, they leave a permanent digital footprint,” Raviv said.
“That activity can provide investigators with valuable intelligence, especially if the wallet interacts with exchanges or custodial services where identity verification is required.”
Once a wallet is identified and tagged, every move triggers an alert, and Raviv believes authorities may now have an advantage in their investigation after funds were sent to the bitcoin wallet.
“The person demanding ransom may believe they are in control, but once a transaction is made, they become the one being watched,” Raviv divulged. “The ransom actor is now the target of forensic tracking.”
The ransom demand for Nancy’s safe return is Bitcoin worth $6 million.
Savannah’s mom was last seen at her Tucson, Arizona, home on January 31, when family members dropped her off after dinner.
A person was detained in connection with Nancy’s disappearance, but he was soon released
Carlos Palazuelos, a 36-year-old delivery driver, was taken into custody by authorities on Tuesday evening.
He was questioned for several hours, and a search of his home in Rio Rico, south of Tucson, was conducted before he was let go without charges on Wednesday morning.
After his release, the man, per the BBC, told reporters outside his home that he was not familiar with the case since he does not follow the news.
“I hope they get the suspect because I’m not it,” Carlos additionally said, according to a video posted on X by a CBS reporter.
The news of the detention came soon after the FBI released images and videos of a masked person at Nancy Guthrie’s doorstep on the night of her disappearance. It was reported that the person was armed.
Carlos, according to law enforcement sources who tipped ABC, had been on the radar of the FBI and the local sheriff’s department before the public release of the masked subject.
The FBI identified him by using a series of electronic investigative tools, including cellphone usage information and traffic data, the sources told the outlet.
The White House is closely monitoring Nancy Guthrie’s case
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump had reviewed the surveillance footage.
Trump’s reaction to the footage was “pure disgust,” Leavitt noted.
“The president directed me to encourage all Americans with any information to call the FBI,” she added.
Trump, who ordered federal authorities to help in the investigation, had previously called the case “very unusual.”
On Wednesday, the FBI, through a social media post, requested the “media and motorists to follow all traffic laws and to remain especially cautious when passing law enforcement near roadways,” as agents would be conducting an “extensive search” in Phoenix.
The FBI reiterated that it will offer a $50,000 reward for information leading to Nancy’s recovery.
The Guthrie family has warned about Nancy’s ill health, saying her heart is “fragile” and that she “lives in constant pain.”
Authorities previously determined that on the night of her disappearance, the app connected to Nancy’s pacemaker, an implanted cardiac device, disconnected from her phone.
“This case gets scarier everytime I read about this,” a netizen remarked
