Scotland Yard has activated its elite Kidnap and Hostage Negotiator Unit after a ransom note surfaced claiming the death of missing heiress Nancy Guthrie. Sources confirm the note demands £50 million in cryptocurrency and warns of further violence if the payment is not made within 72 hours. The 34-year-old philanthropist vanished from her Kensington townhouse five days ago.
Her husband, venture capitalist Charles Guthrie, reported her missing after she failed to collect their son from school. Police have been tight-lipped, but sources say the note's authenticity is under forensic review. Detective Superintendent Rachel Harper, leading the investigation, said: 'We are treating this as a hostage situation until evidence proves otherwise.
' The Guthrie family has declined to comment, but insiders reveal private negotiators have been hired. Scotland Yard is analysing the note for traces of fabric, ink or DNA. A source close to the family told me: 'The note was crude but chilling.
It mentioned personal details only the killer would know?' The case has drawn comparisons to the 2016 murder of socialite Annabel Fortescue, but Harper insists 'every case is different'. The ransom demand, sent via encrypted email to Guthrie's business partner, includes a photograph of Nancy's passport.
Officers are sweeping the capital's financial sector for leads on the cryptocurrency address. 'They're not amateurs,' a financial investigator said. 'They know how to disappear online.
' The Met's Counter Terrorism Command has offered resources, but sources say there is no evidence of links to extremist groups. The Guthrie family's vast property holdings have been searched, including their Cotswolds estate. Neighbours report seeing unmarked police cars on the street this morning.
The note's claim of death has not been substantiated. 'We have no body, no confession and no demand for proof of life,' a former hostage negotiator noted. 'That's a red flag.
' The investigation is in its 48th hour. I'll be updating this report live as new information emerges.
