FBI: Ransom Notes in Savannah Guthrie's Mother's Disappearance Are Fake

The mystery surrounding the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother took another heartbreaking turn Tuesday after federal investigators determined that three messages claiming to involve a kidnapping and ransom demand were not authentic.

An FBI official told Reuters that the agency believes the two ransom notes reported in February, along with a more recent message from someone claiming to know the identity of Nancy Guthrie’s alleged abductors, were fake communications.

“None of the ransom notes are believed to be genuine,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the investigation remains active.

A second law enforcement source familiar with the case confirmed the FBI’s assessment.

The finding raises new questions about the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, 84, who was last seen alive at her Tucson, Arizona, home on Jan. 31 after spending the evening with her daughter Annie Guthrie and son-in-law.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which is leading the investigation, declined to comment on the ransom messages and referred questions to the FBI.

“We don’t have any updates, other than this is still an active investigation,” sheriff’s spokesperson Angelica Carrillo said, adding that DNA evidence and video collected in the case remain under forensic review.

The messages first surfaced through media outlets, including TMZ, before being turned over to authorities.

Savannah Guthrie, the longtime co-anchor of NBC’s “Today” show, had publicly pleaded for her mother’s safe return, urging whoever was responsible to contact the family. In previous emotional messages, she referenced ransom demands and said the family was willing to cooperate.

“We will pay,” Guthrie said in one appeal.

The FBI’s review found that the first two messages came from the same sender, though investigators have not publicly explained how they reached that conclusion.

One reported note demanded millions of dollars in cryptocurrency and included payment deadlines. A later message reportedly claimed Nancy Guthrie had died and did not include a demand for money.

The FBI attempted to test the credibility of the ransom demand by sending a small amount of cryptocurrency to the account provided in the message, but the funds were never collected, the official said.

Investigators also determined that a third message — sent to TMZ by someone claiming to have information about the disappearance — was not genuine.

The case has drawn national attention since authorities confirmed shortly after Nancy Guthrie vanished that blood found on her front porch belonged to her.

Investigators previously released surveillance footage showing a person wearing a ski mask near her home and appearing to tamper with her doorbell camera before her disappearance. DNA recovered from a glove found near the home did not match any known profiles in national databases.

Despite the setbacks, Savannah Guthrie has continued to hold onto hope.

Her family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to answers, and Guthrie has described the emotional toll of waiting for news about her mother.

“We are blowing on the embers of hope,” she said, while acknowledging the painful possibility that her mother may no longer be alive.

The investigation remains ongoing.