A second ransom note connected to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of "Today" show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, claims that Guthrie died shortly after being abducted from her Tucson, Arizona, home in early February, though authorities say they have not been able to verify that claim and continue to treat the case as an active missing-person investigation.

The message, dated Feb. 6, states that Guthrie "perished shortly after she was taken" and says she is "buried in nature." The note's author apologizes to the Guthrie family, describing her death as unintentional and attributing it to a "heart related" cause. The note continues, "We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition. We never intended to hurt her, that was not our intention. She perished shortly after she was taken. We believe it was heart related." It concludes, "Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome," followed by an apology to the family.

Guthrie was last seen on the evening of Jan. 31 at her home in Tucson's Catalina Foothills neighborhood. Family members reported her missing the following day after she failed to attend church, prompting an investigation that authorities have consistently treated as a suspected........

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