Authorities may have dropped the ball on a simple strategy: catch Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapper.
Bezalel Ehsan Labib, CEO and founder of Lionsgate Network, a cryptocurrency recovery service with expertise in blockchain forensics, spoke to Page Six about how “simple tactics” can help investigators with their investigations.
In exchange for Guthrie’s release, the ransom note asked him to send $6 million in Bitcoin to an address by two different deadlines (one by 5pm last Thursday and the same time this Monday), but Page Six confirmed that the balance in his Bitcoin wallet remained $0, meaning no transactions were recorded.
Labib explained that initiating even a small exchange to the address listed in the ransom note will ultimately lead to the detection of crypto criminals.
“Whenever a cybercriminal provides their wallet address, that’s basically where they reveal themselves in different ways,” Labib explained, adding that cryptocurrencies can be tracked to “see where they land.”
“This is very simple among the many tactics we utilize when we want to be able to intercept the crypto assets of a criminal network,” he continued. “This is our view based on past examples that have been incredibly successful.”
Cryptocurrency experts pointed out that the alleged criminals showed up as soon as they provided addresses for Bitcoin payments.
“He showed everyone who understands blockchain forensics his Achilles heel,” Labib said.
This Israeli-based entrepreneur has dispelled the notion that Bitcoin transactions are impossible to trace.
“There’s a lot of incredibly mushy conversation around blockchain technology…Even in 2026, most people don’t believe that cryptocurrencies will be traceable. And even in 2026, many people still don’t believe that cryptocurrencies will be unrecoverable,” he said. “And these are all nonsense ideas because we’ve changed so much.”
A single transaction can collect a large amount of data that can lead to new information pointing to a criminal, Labib said.
“This is exactly what blockchain forensics is all about: tracking the blocks that are produced with every transaction,” he said.
Cryptocurrency can be sent to a wallet, but criminals ultimately want to “enjoy that money.”
“This is the beauty of cryptocurrencies,” Labib said. “In the bigger picture, when you send cryptocurrency, you’re sending a code. You’re not sending a suitcase full of cash that you can use to pay for gas, bills, clothes, and groceries, right?
“We send a code from one wallet to another,” he continued. “Even if you send us a code, you can’t use it to eat. You can’t buy things from your code… If you want to cash out, you have to use a cryptocurrency exchange.”
Asked whether paying a small amount instead of the full amount demanded could put Guthrie at risk, Labib said it could.
“We’re only looking at it from a technology strategy, not a law enforcement strategy,” he said.
Labib believes investigators may not understand Bitcoin’s intricacies because it is a fairly new currency.
“I think the weakness of law enforcement here is a lack of ability to understand cryptocurrencies and blockchain, and that’s why it’s taking longer than it should,” he said, referring to Guthrie’s disappearance.
“We need to train law enforcement officers in blockchain forensics and cryptocurrencies, or find the right people for the job,” he said.
Labib said he has contacted authorities to offer help in locating Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother.
“I hope she returns to her family and loved ones and this nightmare ends,” he said.
Nancy was last seen alive on the night of January 31st and was reported missing the next morning.
After the Pima County Sheriff’s Office determined that Nancy’s home in the Tucson area was a crime scene and that she had been taken against her will, Savannah and her brother agreed to pay the ransom but begged the alleged kidnapper for proof of her survival.
On Tuesday, authorities released new security camera photos showing an armed man wearing a mask outside Nancy’s home the night she disappeared, but no suspects have been identified.
