While the FBI has dismissed certain ransom notes tied to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie as fraudulent extortion attempts, the agency announced Wednesday that other notes received in the case are still being assessed and may be legitimate.
The FBI declined to give a specific count of how many notes have been received, saying only that there have been “several.” The agency reaffirmed its position on the case, stating, “This case continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case.”
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is also working the investigation alongside the FBI. While the department would not comment specifically on the ransom notes Wednesday, officials said they are treating every lead and tip in the case with full seriousness.
Tucson television station KOLD reported that it received two notes — one demanding millions of dollars in Bitcoin in exchange for Guthrie’s safe return, and a second claiming she had died. Entertainment outlet TMZ also reportedly received a note.
Nancy Guthrie is the mother of Savannah Guthrie, who has long hosted the “Today” show. Investigators believe she was kidnapped or otherwise taken against her will on February 1. Blood was discovered near the front entrance of her home located just outside Tucson, and the FBI later released surveillance video capturing a masked individual on her porch that same evening.
In the weeks following her disappearance, volunteers and search teams combed through the surrounding desert landscape — an area dense with cactuses, bushes, and boulders. More recently, a volunteer group conducted a search for her remains near the Arizona-Mexico border.
