India, June 23 -- The fate of the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case seemed even more in the dark after a big revelation Monday by ABC News and NBC News. Though it seems the Guthrie family might have been aware of the tragic development all along.

ABC News and NBC News reported, citing sources that the second ransom note received by an Arizona-based TV station in February did indeed say that Nancy Guthrie had passed away. The note stated that Guthrie died during the kidnapping and has been "buried in nature." It did not offer any apology for the incident and provided no further details about the body of the 84-year-old mother of the TODAY show co-host.

The specific details about the second ransom note were first reported by the news outlet A...