Nancy Guthrie, mother Savannah Guthriehas been missing since Saturday, January 31st. As the search for the 84-year-old continues, his family has received two alleged ransom notes. They also agreed to a request for a $6 million Bitcoin transfer.
It is worth noting that the ransom deadline expires at 5pm on Monday. While many viewed the family’s request for ransom payment as an act of desperation, experts say there was, in fact, a well-thought-out strategy behind it.
Recently, a criminal defense attorney wrote on Fox News that transferring Bitcoin to accounts associated with ransom demands could provide investigators with key clues in finding the suspects.
Nancy Guthrie Ransom: Former FBI agent provides clues
Criminal defense attorney Josh Ritter said on “Fox & Friends” that numbers associated with ransom Bitcoin accounts could lead investigators to the kidnappers. Ritter thinks Bitcoin It’s not as secure as many people think, and the account holder’s information can be easily traced.
“One interesting thing is that these wallets have a number, like an account number, and they can retain that information and they can monitor the account if it has been used for any previous illegal activity,” he said.
Also read: Nancy Guthrie case: Is son-in-law Tommaso Cioni the prime suspect? what we know
Ritter believes that if a transfer was made, the person behind the account would at some point convert it into real currency for use, and that moment could lead to the FBI finding them.
Bitcoin account still empty
TMZ reports that the Bitcoin account used to transfer the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping ransom remains empty of funds with just hours left before the 5pm deadline.
As of 2:40 p.m. ET, the account had a zero balance and no transaction history, and the account was available for public viewing, the outlet reported.
