The FBI has determined that all three ransom messages are related to the disappearance Nancy GuthrieToday’s co-anchor, 84-year-old mother Savannah GuthrieAccording to Reuters, these are all fake.
Reuters reports that the FBI’s assessment applies to two ransom letters sent shortly after Nancy Guthrie disappeared, as well as a third message recently received by TMZ.
An FBI official who spoke on condition of anonymity said investigators do not believe any of the three communications came from anyone responsible for Nancy’s disappearance.
“None of the ransom notes are believed to be genuine,” the official told the outlet. A second law enforcement source confirmed that assessment.
Read more: Are all Nancy Guthrie ransom notes fake? Ex-FBI agent weighs in: ‘Extortionists’ network is bigger…’
Why did the FBI conclude the ransom note was fake?
The first two messages were sent to multiple media organizations, including TMZ, in early February. According to previous reports, the first note calls for “millions” of dollars in cryptocurrency and sets payment deadlines of February 5 and February 9.
A second piece of news, reported by TMZ last week, claims that Nancy Guthrie is dead and is demanding a Bitcoin payment to reveal videos of her two alleged kidnappers and “key players.”
Investigators traced the first two text messages to the same sender, Reuters reported. The FBI also conducted tests by depositing small amounts of cryptocurrency into the wallet specified in the first ransom demand. officials said The funds were never claimed.
Based on undisclosed factors, the FBI discovered that two ransom notes from the same source were sent by someone unrelated to Nancy’s disappearance.
The FBI has not disclosed other forensic methods used to reach its findings.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department declined to comment.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department declined to comment on the investigation, saying it has agreed to refer all inquiries about the ransom letters to the FBI.
The case remains open and DNA samples and video evidence continue to undergo forensic analysis, Sheriff’s spokesperson Angelica Carrillo said.
“We don’t have any updates other than this is still an active investigation,” she said.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on January 31, spending an evening with her daughter Annie Guthrie and her son-in-law at her home in Tucson, Arizona. Authorities later confirmed that the blood found on her front porch belonged to her.
All three ransom notes were fake, leaving investigators with fewer and fewer confirming leads. Authorities have not announced any arrests or identified suspects since her disappearance.
