FBI Dismisses Kidnapping Notes in Guthrie Case as Fakes
By Jana Winter and Steve Gorman
WASHINGTON, June 30 (Reuters) — The FBI has determined that three separate messages claiming to be linked to the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s elderly mother were all fabricated, a senior bureau official told Reuters on Tuesday, a development that undercuts the long-held assumption that the 84-year-old was kidnapped for ransom.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation remains active, said none of the notes — including two early ransom demands and a more recent message purporting to identify the kidnappers — are considered genuine. A second law enforcement source familiar with the probe confirmed the assessment.
Nancy Guthrie, mother of the “Today” show co-anchor, vanished from her home in Tucson, Arizona, on the night of Jan. 31. She had been in frail health and used a walker. Her disappearance drew national attention, amplified by her daughter’s public pleas for her safe return. In several emotional social media videos, Savannah Guthrie, 54, offered to pay a ransom and begged the abductors to open a direct line of communication.
The FBI’s conclusion that all three notes are fake raises serious questions about the central narrative of the case: that Guthrie was taken specifically for financial gain. “If the notes aren’t real, it forces investigators to reconsider what actually happened,” said a former federal prosecutor not involved in the case. “It could mean the abduction was personal, opportunistic, or even staged.”
According to the FBI official, the first two ransom notes originated from the same sender, though the bureau did not disclose how it reached that conclusion. The first note, as reported by TMZ, demanded a “multi-million-dollar” cryptocurrency payment with deadlines of Feb. 5 and Feb. 9. A second note, first reported by NBC News last week, claimed Guthrie had already died and made no further payment demands. A third note — also shared with TMZ — came from someone claiming to know the kidnappers’ identities and to possess video footage of the victim on the day she died. That note was also dismissed as inauthentic.
In an effort to test the credibility of the first note, investigators deposited a small amount of cryptocurrency into an account as instructed. The money was never claimed, the official said, providing what the bureau considers further evidence that the sender had no actual connection to Guthrie’s disappearance. The FBI has not detailed the other methods used to debunk the notes.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which leads the overall investigation, declined to comment on the FBI’s findings. Spokesperson Angelica Carrillo said only that the case remains active and that DNA samples and video evidence are still undergoing forensic analysis.
Savannah Guthrie has referenced the ransom demands in her public appeals, and last week on “Today” she again urged the public for any information, reminding viewers of the $1 million reward her family is offering. “We are in agony,” she said. Meanwhile, authorities confirmed early in the investigation that blood found on the front porch of Nancy Guthrie’s home belonged to her.
Media coverage of the case peaked in mid-February when law enforcement released surveillance footage of a ski-masked figure tampering with Guthrie’s doorbell camera shortly before she vanished. But a DNA sample from a glove found near the home — similar to the ones worn by the prowler — failed to match any profile in national databases.
The latest developments cast a shadow over the investigation’s direction. “If the ransom angle is weakened, the focus may shift entirely to other possibilities — like a targeted crime, a tragic accident, or something else that isn’t yet on the public record,” said a former FBI profiler who has been following the case.
Savannah Guthrie has acknowledged the possibility that her mother may already be dead, but said her family is still “blowing on the embers of hope.” With all three kidnapping notes now labeled fakes, the search for answers is more uncertain than ever.
(Reporting by Jana Winter in Washington; Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Stephen Coates)