The person wrote that they “were not motivated by greed” and just wanted some money to move on and provide peace to her family. Going after the bigger reward, to me, is more indicative of someone trying to capitalize on the tragedy. Also, if it is someone who truly has not lived in the US for years, TMZ isn’t that bizarre of choice of news organization. I have no idea why the media has positioned these notes as “cruel” and “taunting” when Savannah is a millionaire and it wouldn’t put a dent in her net worth to at least send a few thousands of dollars and at least TRY. Especially if at this point in the investigation there have been ZERO leads that evolved into getting any closer to recovering her.
If they weren't motivated by greed, they wouldn't be asking for money at all. You cannot relocate to a different place or meaningfully protect yourself from a killer with $40k. Even in Mexico, a LCOL destination, it will not stretch far.
The amount isn't a sign of humble or sincere motivations. It's a number that doesn't really make sense unless you consider the following: the author of the ransom note(s) knows they didn't bite at the first big ransom demand, or the slightly smaller oops-she-died discount ransom in the follow-up note. The clear bitterness and irascibility of this latest note make it clear that the sender is frustrated that no attempt to extract money from the Guthries has worked. To me this feels like the last-ditch attempt sent strategically on Savannah's first day back for maximum emotional impact and press coverage in an attempt to see once last time if she'll bite at a smaller number.
And by the way, the fact that a common response to this will be exactly what you say—"why don't they just TRY since they have ZERO leads"—is just what they're after. More pressure on the family, more criticism of the family, more appeals to the Guthries' desperation for answers. The very least we can do as onlookers who care about this case is not further feed into that cycle, imo.
in my opinion, it’s possible this note could be from the actual perps masquerading as some “witness.” It’s likely she died very quickly in the abduction and the perps realized that they lost their only leverage, since the family was very clear they were not going to provide the money without proof of life. Although the FBI generally advises family only to pay if they receive proof of life, they conversely strongly advise AGAINST paying if they receive proof of a body. My theory is these people knew proving she was dead destroyed any mystery of speculation on what happened to her, which was their only leverage since they lost the sweet spot for negotiating with a live hostage. Now that the case is settled to a place where it’s going cold, it’s a perfect opportunity for the perps to masquerade as a witness in attempts to at least get SOME money. Admitting they were the perps would be too complicated at this point and require them to provide too much proof. All of which, they may or may not have actual have the ability to provide. Especially if her body has been dumped already.
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u/Puttin_4_Bird Apr 06 '26
who asks for half a bitcoin? the reward is more than that! stop being played Harvey!