The sheriff leading the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, mother of "Today" show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, has explained why authorities decided to publicly release two ransom notes tied to the case, saying investigators hope the letters could "jog" the memory of someone in the community who might recognize their author.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos released the two notes on July 31 through the Pima County Sheriff's Department, marking the first time the documents had been made public. In a video posted to X on Aug. 1, timed to mark six months since Guthrie's disappearance, Nanos explained the reasoning behind the decision. "Well, really two reasons," Nanos said, noting first that the notes were already circulating publicly, with several media outlets having obtained copies. "We just saw what was being said, and we felt like we needed to put something out that's really accurate, and this was the time."

Nanos said the second reason centered on the specific content of the letters themselves. "Investigators felt like there's a number of pieces of information in these notes that just might jar someone to say, 'I've heard that,' or [recognize] the wording, the style of the writing... it might jog somebody to think about who........

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