The FBI has recently confirmed that the ransom notes related to the case of the missing mother of Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, were fake and sent by unknown persons. This update came from Reuters after Nancy’s daughter made a heartfelt appeal on live TV, asking about helping her to find her mother.
Reuters reportedly confirmed the FBI’s statement that none of the ransom notes were considered real. Another source familiar with the case confirmed that investigators reviewed the messages and found no evidence of authenticity.
The rejection of all three notes, including two that had drawn wide media attention, weakens the main theory that Nancy Guthrie was taken for ransom. The lead investigator of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department refused to answer any questions about the notes sent to the FBI.
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Recent updates about the ransom notes sent after Nancy Guthrie’s abduction
The FBI recently confirmed that all three ransom notes received after Nancy’s disappearance were fake and were sent by unrelated extortionists. Their finding removes the investigators’ strongest leads and leaves the family feeling as though they are back at the starting point.
According to the reports of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI, the case is still active. They have no suspects at this time and no confirmed ‘proof of life’ messages from the real kidnappers. A reward of $1.1 million is still being offered for information that can lead to Nancy Guthrie’s safe return.
What happened earlier with Nancy Guthrie?
Nancy was taken from her home in Tucson on February 1 this year. Soon after, ransom notes began to appear. The first notes were sent in early February to news outlets. They asked for millions of dollars in cryptocurrency. One of them even claimed she had died shortly after being abducted. Later, a third note was sent to TMZ by the extortionist, asking for one bitcoin in exchange for revealing the kidnappers’ identities.
The FBI’s cyber and forensic team traced the first two notes back to the same sender. To test them, officials had placed a small amount of cryptocurrency into the wallet mentioned in the notes. The money was never collected.
For five months, investigators treated the ransom notes as the main focus of the case. The family also considered them their only possible link to the kidnappers. When the letters were officially declared scams, the amount of confirmed evidence dropped sharply.
Investigators had to return to the physical proof collected at the start. This includes bloodstains belonging to Nancy found on her front porch. It also included doorbell camera footage showing a masked, armed person tampering with Nancy Guthrie’s security system on the morning she went missing.
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Edited by Aratrika Baidya