The FBI has reportedly determined that three ransom notes related to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, one of which claimed she was dead, are fake.
“None of the ransom notes appear to be genuine,” an anonymous FBI official told Reuters on Tuesday.
Another law enforcement official familiar with the case co-signed the FBI’s evaluation, the newspaper reported.
Page Six contacted the FBI and Arizona’s Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
Multiple ransom notes were sent to TMZ and local news outlets in Arizona after Savannah Guthrie, 84, was allegedly kidnapped from her Tucson home in the early hours of February 1st.
FBI officials told Reuters that the first two ransom notes sent in February are believed to have come from the same sender.
The first document sent to TMZ demanded virtual currency payments in the “millions” with two payment deadlines: February 5th and February 9th.
As Airmail reported last week, the second ransom note included an apology for Nancy’s death, with the idea of returning the body in exchange for an unspecified amount.
However, an FBI official told Reuters that both banknotes were found to be counterfeits that had been deposited into accounts with small amounts of virtual currency following instructions, but never touched the funds.
Officials said they determined “on that basis and other unspecified measures” that the senders of the first two letters were not connected to Nancy’s kidnapping.
A third note TMZ reportedly received last week, in which the sender claimed to have a video of Nancy and her kidnapper, also turned out to be fake, FBI officials claimed.
According to Reuters, the official “did not say how investigators ruled out the third bill as a fake.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who has faced criticism for his handling of the incident, on Monday questioned the third ransom note.
“I believe the FBI has made a number of arrests with false or forged ransom notes. It’s unfortunate that that happened, but I think we’re looking at making additional arrests today,” he told local radio station KVOI AM 1030.
Nanos added: “You’re going to have people demanding fake ransom notes, claiming they’re doing it for the media, for their families, and in this case, sabotaging entire neighborhoods.”
Since the investigation began, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department has maintained that they believe Nancy is still alive.
The FBI, led by Director Kash Patel, is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information related to Nancy’s disappearance.
Savannah returned to “Today” after taking a two-month hiatus from news programming following her mother’s disappearance.
The 54-year-old journalist addressed the ransom note surrounding Nancy’s alleged death on his show last week, telling viewers that she and her family were “suffering.”
“We cannot be at peace,” she added. “No matter how small, there is a reward. Please tell us, even anonymously. Please do the right thing.”
