When a 5 p.m. PT ransom deadline passed this week in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, investigators were still grappling with a crucial uncertainty: Was the Bitcoin demand real — and if so, who sent it?
In two unverified notes sent to media outlets, the sender claimed to have abducted the 84-year-old mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie and set a deadline for her family to pay a ransom in Bitcoin. Law enforcement officials have said they are taking the messages seriously but have not confirmed their authenticity or received proof of life. There is no evidence that the Guthrie family was targeted for holding cryptocurrency.
Authorities have said they do not know why she was taken or whether her daughter’s fame played a role. But the demand for Bitcoin — regardless of motive — reflects a broader global shift in how criminals seek ransom payments.
While high-profile kidnappings are extremely rare in the United States, organized crime syndicates in Latin America, Asia, and West Africa are known to engage in kidnapping. This has led to a growing kidnapping insurance industry. And for kidnappers, cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin is an attractive vehicle for ransom payments, for a variety of reasons. There is no evidence that the Guthrie family was targeted for holding cryptocurrency.
"Bitcoin is much easier to launder than cash," YouTuber and crypto investigator Stephen Findeisen, known online as Coffeezilla, wrote in an email to Mashable. "A Bitcoin wallet you can create brand new, receive your demand money without it being traced to you personally, and then launder via mixers, privacy coins, or decentralized exchanges that don’t implement KYC (know your customer) restrictions."
Another appeal, experts say, is the irreversibility of crypto exchanges.
Paul Sibenik, CEO of Cryptoforensic Investigators, explained that from a kidnapper’s perspective, Bitcoin eliminates many of the friction points associated with traditional ransom payments. "No need for an in-person meeting or cash drop… entirely digital," he wrote to Mashable over email. Unlike bank wires, which can sometimes be reversed or flagged, "the Bitcoin transaction, once posted to the blockchain, cannot be reversed and it's immutable."
He added that there is "no custodian or entity that could freeze the Bitcoin in the kidnappers' wallet," meaning once the funds move, they move for good.
That finality is central to the appeal. According to Chainalysis data cited by the BBC, more than $3.4 billion in cryptocurrency was stolen in 2025, with an estimated $713 million tied to hacks, scams, or coercion of individuals. Attacks targeting individuals have doubled in recent years.
Physical extortion has followed the money. A 2025 security assessment warned that "crypto kidnappings are happening weekly," as criminals turn to violence to extract digital wealth that cannot be clawed back once transferred.
Sibenik noted that while Bitcoin is traceable on the public ledger, that doesn’t necessarily deter criminals. "Just because Bitcoin is much more traceable doesn't mean that it would be much harder to launder Bitcoin than cash," he wrote, pointing to loosely regulated exchanges and services that can obscure trails.
In Nancy Guthrie’s case, investigators are still trying to determine whether the person demanding Bitcoin is even connected to her disappearance. Retired FBI agents told ABC News that negotiators would typically seek proof of life before any payment is considered.
For now, the motive behind her abduction remains unclear. What is clear is that Bitcoin has become a default ransom currency — not necessarily because victims are crypto holders, but because criminals increasingly view it as the most efficient way to get paid.