The FBI says ransom messages linked to Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping-for-ransom case include notes investigators can’t fully dismiss as legitimate, even as some have been treated as extortion attempts with no real credibility. The update arrives amid conflicting
The FBI’s Phoenix office delivered a cautious warning that landed like a bruise: some of the ransom notes tied to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance are fake, but others may still be legitimate as investigators comb for answers.
In a post on X on Wednesday afternoon. July 1. the office said investigators “cannot dismiss the legitimacy of all the ransom notes received” regarding the missing 84-year-old mother of “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie. The FBI said “some have been deemed to be extortion attempts without legitimacy. ” while “other ransom demands may potentially be legitimate and are still being investigated as such.” The agency added that the case “continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case.”.
The update also clarified the work split: the FBI will continue to assist, but the Pima County Sheriff’s Department continues to lead the case.
The statement came after weeks of conflicting accounts about three ransom notes sent in connection with Guthrie’s suspected kidnapping.
On June 30. Reuters reported that an anonymous FBI official said two messages sent to multiple news organizations in the days after Guthrie’s disappearance. as well as a third recent note claiming to know the abductors’ identities. were fake. That report said the official told the outlet. “None of the ransom notes are believed to be genuine. ” and noted that a second law enforcement source familiar with the matter said the same.
The next day, TMZ published an update claiming law enforcement sources refuted the Reuters report.
Guthrie has been missing for 5 months. She was reported missing Feb. 1, after she was last seen entering the garage of her Tucson, Arizona, home the night before. During that first week. purported ransom notes containing alleged details about Nancy Guthrie’s suspected abduction were sent out to the Guthrie family and news outlets. including KOLD News. CBS’ Tucson affiliate. and TMZ. Savannah Guthrie. the “Today” anchor’s daughter. addressed the notes multiple times in social media videos and said. during an NBC interview in March. that she and her family believe two of those notes—one of which demanded money—“are real.”.
As the investigation continued, the disputed notes multiplied, including claims that later triggered fresh skepticism.
Months later on June 22, NBC News, ABC News, and CBS News reported that the second note claimed Guthrie was dead. NBC and ABC cited unnamed people “familiar with the matter,” and CBS cited “sources who reviewed the notes.”
Then. on June 26. TMZ reported receiving a new ransom note that allegedly offered the password to a phone in a “secure location” containing information about Guthrie’s disappearance in exchange for Bitcoin payment. The outlet said the note came from someone with the same email and Bitcoin address as the person who emailed them in February.
The same day, and again as the information churned, Sheriff Chris Nanos stepped into the spotlight.
During an interview on Arizona radio station KVOI AM 1030’s “Buckmaster Show. ” Nanos spoke about the legitimacy of the latest note. He expressed skepticism about the validity of all three ransom notes. saying they are being investigated by the FBI as the agency continues to partner with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. Nanos told the program. “I think the FBI has done a number of arrests for false or fake ransom notes. ” adding. “It’s a shame that that happens. but I think we’re looking at another one of those today with what’s been reported.”.
He said, “But we’ll let the FBI do their work.”
Nanos also described the toll the flood of claims can take on real people. He said. “people have great interest. and that’s good because it helps us. but then it gets really gets abused. ” and that those “who call in fake ransom notes. people who claim [false information] for the sake of media and the family. they get out and disturb. in this case. an entire neighborhood.”.
The FBI’s July 1 message now places a new kind of emphasis on what investigators can and can’t say with certainty: some notes may have been extortion attempts meant to manipulate. while others remain under review as forensic evidence is analyzed and the investigation proceeds as a kidnapping for ransom case.
Nancy Guthrie FBI ransom notes kidnapping for ransom Pima County Sheriff's Department Savannah Guthrie Tucson Arizona Bitcoin ransom KOLD News Chris Nanos