LOS ANGELES, Aug 1 — The alleged kidnapper of a US television star’s mother apologised as he told her family six days after her disappearance that she had died, according to a note released by police.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, vanished from her home in Arizona on the night of January 31-February 1, and her body has never been found.

Her daughter Savannah Guthrie, the popular anchor of a major morning news programme, has repeatedly brought the case before the public, pleading for help.

In a statement yesterday, six months after the kidnapping, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said that the search for Guthrie is ongoing, and asked for public assistance as it released two purported ransom notes sent to a local television station on February 2 and February 6.

The first demands millions of dollars in Bitcoin for Guthrie’s safe return and threatens to kill her if her family does not comply.

The second informs the family that “she perished shortly after she was taken” and “is buried in nature now.”

The writer implies that Guthrie died of natural causes, taking her captors by surprise.

“We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition… We believe it was heart related,” it says.

“We are truly sorry,” the note adds, claiming that “we never intended to hurt her.”

The content of the notes was reported by US media in June, prompting another plea from her daughter for information on her mother’s wherabouts.

“Please do the right thing for us, for our family, for our children, and we love our mom, and we’ll never stop looking for her, never,” she said.

The kidnapping in Tucson, Arizona made headlines across the United States.

Interest intensified when security camera footage released by authorities showed a masked, apparently armed man at the house, which lies in the desert suburbs of the city.

US President Donald Trump said he had been following the case.

“I hope they find her,” he told reporters. “That family has gone through hell.” — AFP