Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - New Ransom Note Emerges in Ongoing Disappearance of Nancy Guthrie | Crime Alert 09.30.26

Episode Date: September 30, 2026

Pima County investigators are probing a newly surfaced ransom note in the months-long disappearance of Today show host Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy. In California, a New York Times executive was fatally shot in a Dublin parking lot, leading to the murder arrests of his elderly in-laws amid ongoing legal battles. Meanwhile in Mississippi, safety officials and lawmakers are pushing for a crackdown on kratom following the suspected overdose deaths of two Ole Miss students. Sydney Silvagni reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. Crime alert, hourly update. Breaking crime news now. I'm Sidney. A major development in a high-profile missing persons investigation as authorities reveal a new potential clue in the disappearance of today's show host Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy Guthrie.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department announced on Monday that investigators were recently made aware of a new possible ransom note connected to the ongoing case. Investigators are also aware of social media comments regarding the note and are looking further into the information to determine its credibility. This is not the first time alleged ransom notes have surfaced during the investigation. Back on July 31st, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos released two previous notes, hoping the writer's distinct wording or style might jar someone's memory

and prompt community action to help break the case. It's out there. people have been, media has covered some of this and we just saw what was being said and felt like we need to put something out that's really accurate and this was the time. We felt like investigators felt like there's a number of pieces of information in these notes that someone might, it just might jar someone to say, you know, I've heard that or the wording, the style of the writing is, might jog somebody to kind of think about who would have written this. How was this done? The Sheriff's Department has been actively investigating Nancy's disappearance

since February 1st. The 84-year-old was last seen near her home on January 31st after family members dropped her off. Her family reported her missing the next day when she failed to show up for a virtual church service. Sheriff Nanos emphasized that sharing information directly with the public remains essential. I think anybody who reads them, my investigators, we look at it, and clearly there's things in there that are very concerning to our investigative team. So we hope that by releasing the actual note, we'll get some response from the community. Savannah Guthrie has made multiple public pleas online and on air asking for answers. During a September 15th broadcast of today, the 54-year-old anchor said she wants to give her mother a proper goodbye.

Before that, in an August 1st Instagram post, Savannah described her family's devastation, writing that while they try to be strong every day, their hearts are in ruins. She begged anyone with information to step forward anonymously, noting that a substantial reward is available to bring this painful situation to an end. More crime and justice news after this. This record is on. Miley is having a moment. New name, new album, and two exclusive shows.

So IHeart Radio is sending you to experience it all. Life at the Hollywood Polites, hotel, tickets, and $1,000 cash. Listen to IHeart new music for 10 minutes a day on the IHart Radio app and click enter. Every day you listen is another chance to win. Stream Miley's new album, Bass Persuades, today. A New York Times executive is dead and his elderly in-laws are facing murder charges. 40-year-old Jonathan McKinsey, head of engineering for New York Times Games was fatally shot in broad daylight on Saturday, September 26th,

in a parking lot in Dublin, California. Shortly after the shooting, Dublin police arrested McKinsey's in-laws, 77-year-old Shu Yang Zhang and 77-year-old Sheely Chen, charging both with murder. Court records reveal McKinsey was embroiled in legal disputes with his wife, Candice Jang, filing for divorce in December after mutual protective order requests. Online records show McKinsey had in charge with child cruelty, pleading not guilty last October. A New York Times spokesperson confirmed his role, but denied to comment on the charges. On LinkedIn, McKenzie had written about leadership and fatherhood, sharing a post about his newborn daughter following the 2021 Atlanta Spa attacks and calling on Americans to unite. Both in-laws remain held on murder charges. In Mississippi,

safety leaders and lawmakers are calling for a crackdown on Kratum after two University of Mississippi students died last week, both found with a suspected synthetic form of the drug. 18-year-old Aidan Hamilton and 20-year-old Robert String died in separate incidents. Investigators found store-bought Kratum products in both students' rooms, focusing on S-Max pseudo-DHM pills. Hamilton died in his Stewart Hall dorm room on campus. His roommate noted heavy marijuana use, but agents focused on S-Max pills found on his dresser. Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tyndell commented on the investigation.

We're wanting to test those and make sure that anything that's in there, it's not being laced with any other chemicals or there's no other harmful chemicals in that product. Robert String was found dead inside his off-campus home on Van Buren Avenue. Investigators found 20 to 30 nitrous oxide cans along with a packet of S-Max on his nightstand. roommates reported String took a Xanax bar Sunday afternoon before being found unresponsive the next day. Investigators traced the cratim to Express Mart No. 7 in Yolabusha County and Puffs, vape, tobacco, and beer in Oxford, where undercover agents arrested two employees and seized 500 units of cratum. Notably, an employee had warned an undercover informant to be careful taking the pills because people are dying from them.

With toxicology reports being fast-tracked by a Florida lab, Commissioner Tyndell noted the deaths could spur statewide legislative action. And so I think one of the things the legislature is going to look at and consider next year is are we at a point where we need a statewide ban on cratim? Although cratim is currently banned locally in Oxford and Lafayette County, state officials are weighing whether broader legislation is necessary. For more crime and justice news, be sure to join us for crime stories with Nancy Grace on Fox 1, YouTube, SiriusXM, and now streaming on 2B.

With this crime alert, I'm Sidney Silvani. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.