FBI believes ransom notes in Nancy Guthrie case are fake – Reuters

Federal investigators believe three kidnapping-related messages sent after the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother were fake and not connected to the case, according to Reuters.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, disappeared from her home in the Tucson, Arizona, area in early February. Authorities have said she was taken against her will, and her family has offered $1 million for information leading to her recovery.

The FBI assessment applies to two ransom notes reported after Guthrie vanished and a third message that surfaced more recently from someone claiming to have information about the people involved, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing an FBI official and another law enforcement source familiar with the matter.

“None of the ransom notes are believed to be genuine,” the FBI official told Reuters.

Investigators believe the first two notes came from the same sender, but not from someone actually connected to Guthrie’s disappearance, the FBI official told Reuters.

The first note, reported by several outlets, including TMZ, demanded a payment in the millions in cryptocurrency and included two payment deadlines in early February.

Reuters reported that the FBI deposited a small amount of cryptocurrency into an account listed in the message to test whether the demand was real and possibly trace whoever sent it, but the money was never moved.

The second note was sent days after Guthrie disappeared, but its contents were not publicly reported until last week by NBC News. It said Guthrie had died and buried in nature.

A third message, reported by TMZ, came from someone claiming to know the identities of the abductors and to have video connected to the case.

Savannah Guthrie, co-host of NBC’s “Today,” pleaded for the public’s help last week after reports about the second note became public, saying her family remains in agony and will not stop searching for her mother.

“Somebody knows something,” Guthrie said at the time. “This is the moment to tell you that we need your help. We’re begging for your help.”