FBI says – The FBI has determined that three kidnapping-related messages tied to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance are fake, including two ransom notes reported in early February and a later message claiming to know the kidnappers’ identities.
For days after Nancy Guthrie vanished, messages tied to her case traveled beyond Tucson—reaching cameras, inboxes, and national attention. Now. the FBI has delivered a blunt conclusion: none of the ransom notes believed to be in circulation are genuine. and a third message claiming insider knowledge is also not authentic.
In a Tuesday update shared through a new report, an FBI official said the bureau’s assessment of inauthenticity applies to two ransom notes that surfaced back in early February, just days after Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother was seemingly abducted from her home in Tucson, Arizona.
The bureau also denounced a third, more recent message that claimed to come from someone who said they knew the supposed kidnappers’ identities. The FBI official said, “None of the ransom notes are believed to be genuine,” adding that the three messages were not authentic.
A second law enforcement source familiar with the case confirmed the FBI’s assessment of the alleged ransom notes.
The FBI’s representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department, meanwhile, told the outlet it didn’t have “any updates” to share, but emphasized the case is “still an active investigation.”
The development lands a week after new details emerged about the notes, including that a second message sent to media by people claiming responsibility stated Guthrie was dead.
Savannah Guthrie has already spoken publicly about the messages. On “Today” in March, she told Hoda Kotb, “There are a lot of different notes, I think, that came. And I think most of them. it’s my understanding. are not real.” Guthrie also said she did not personally see many of the notes. and then returned to what she could verify: “But. you know. a person that would send a fake ransom note really has to look deeply at themselves. To a family in pain.”.
She added, “But I believe that the two notes that we received, that we responded to, I tend to believe those are real.” Now the FBI’s findings cut against that certainty.
The underlying case remains unsolved. Nancy Guthrie was last seen on the evening of Jan. 31, after her family dropped her off at her Tucson home following dinner and a game night. By late-midday on Feb. 1. she was reported missing after she didn’t show up at a friend’s place to watch a virtual church service. Pima County investigators later said they believed Guthrie was taken against her will.
Investigators also pointed to evidence from Guthrie’s security camera, which had been disabled. It later revealed images of a man in a ski mask, jacket, gloves, and a backpack outside her property. FBI Phoenix later described the suspect as “a male, approximately 5’9” – 5’10” tall, with an average build.
Despite multiple searches and the analysis of DNA, alleged ransom notes, and other investigative steps, no one has been arrested or named a suspect. Savannah Guthrie, along with her siblings, has continued to make public pleas for their mother’s safe return.
For families living through a disappearance. every message can feel like it might finally bring answers—or cruelly deepen the uncertainty. With the FBI now placing multiple communications in the category of fakes. the only clear facts left are the last known timeline. the disabled security system. and the ongoing search in Tucson.
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