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The FBI has concluded that all three ransom notes sent after the abduction of Savannah Guthrie‘s mother, Nancy Guthrie, were fraudulent, according to a new report.
Multiple ransom notes were sent to various news outlets in the days after the 84-year-old vanished from her Arizona home—and recent reports revealed that the second note had included a claim that Nancy had died shortly after she was kidnapped.
Now, nearly five months after the first of the notes was sent, federal investigators—who asked that their identities be kept hidden—have told Reuters that the agency has determined the messages were fraudulent.
This includes the two notes that were sent in the days immediately following Nancy’s Feb. 1 abduction from her Arizona home and a more recent message in which the sender claimed to have information about the identities of her kidnappers.
“None of the ransom notes are believed to be genuine,” the unnamed official told Reuters.
Anyone with any information about Nancy Guthrie’s case should call 1-800-CALL-FBI, 520-351-4900, or 88-CRIME, or visit https://tips.fbi.gov/.
According to the anonymous official, the first two ransom notes were sent to the FBI by the same person.
The first, which was also received by entertainment news outlet TMZ, demanded millions of dollars in cryptocurrency be sent in return for information about Nancy’s whereabouts. The second alleged that she had died.
Little other information about the details included in the notes was initially revealed to the public. However, in June, multiple reports began circulating about the second missive, in which it was claimed that Nancy had died.
CNN, one of the outlets that received the notes, revealed in its report that law enforcement asked all news publications to refrain from reporting that information in order to give authorities time to authenticate the communications.
Shortly after those reports began to circulate, Savannah made an “unprecedented” plea to “Today” show viewers for help in her mother’s case.
At the time, she made it clear that she is not actively involved in NBC’s coverage of her own mother’s disappearance, but noted that she cannot simply ignore the news while she is on the air—admitting that her family has been left in “agony” while waiting to find out what happened to Nancy.
“I love you guys, and I love this place. This is unusual and unprecedented, to say the least, to be sitting here. I don’t have any comment on this story, and I’m not involved in our coverage, but I can’t pretend I’m not here,” she said.
“And so since I am, I want to just take the opportunity to ask people, to really to beg people to come forward. Somebody knows something, and this is a new story today that is on your radar, but this is the life that my sister lives, that I live, that my brother lives, that our extended families live, that our children live, every day. And we are in agony. We cannot be at peace,” she added.
Following her heartbreaking confession, co-host Craig Melvin praised Savannah’s “bravery.”
“No matter how much I try to come out here every day and smile and find that joy, and I will, I promise I will, this is a moment to tell you that we need your help. We’re begging for your help, and I’m not going to miss that opportunity,” Savannah said.
The “Today” host went on to call attention to the $1 million reward she and her family are still offering to anyone who can provide information that leads to the location of her mother or the arrest of those involved in her disappearance.
“And so please, if you’re watching, no matter how small, the reward is there,” she continued. “You can tell us, it can be anonymous. Please do the right thing for us, for our family, for our children. We love our mom, and we’ll never stop looking for her, ever.”
Thus far, there has been little development in Nancy’s case, which is now in its sixth month, even as her daughter has continued to encourage members of the public to come forward with information.
Just a few weeks ago, Savannah opened up to her co-host Jenna Bush Hager about what it has been like to return to the NBC studios even as the search for her mother is ongoing.
Stepping in for Sheinelle Jones as a co-host of “Today with Jenna & Sheinelle,” Savannah held back tears as she explained how much she has appreciated the opportunity to go back to work—while sharing the bittersweet emotions she feels stepping in front of the cameras every day.
Savannah—who returned to “Today” on April 6—admitted that although work can become “too much” at times, she is thankful for her NBC family, who welcomed her back with open arms, allowing her to avoid thinking about her mom for “two hours.”
“First of all, I can’t really even look at you every day without crying. You are my best friend. You know, it’s really hard to come back. I’ve been trying so hard to hold it together, and I promise I will,” Savannah said.
She confessed that she tries her best to remain professional; however, it can often be too difficult to manage.
Although the morning show helps take her mind off the heartbreaking situation, Savannah noted that the thought of her mom being kidnapped is always with her.
“It’s always with me. I cry every morning on the way to work, and I cry every morning on the way home,” she revealed. “And I’m grateful to have good friends and to be able to come to such a beautiful and joyous and supportive place.
“Like so many people out there, you can hold all of these things together. I try to tell my kids that, too. We can hold our sadness, and we can hold our joy. And if you don’t believe it, just watch me.”
The TV personality conceded that although she may seem happy to viewers at home, she is constantly holding back tears.
“I know maybe people wonder, ‘Whoa, what’s going on? How’s she able to do that job? Is she not thinking about it? Did she forget?’ No, never. Never,” she added.
Savannah then made a personal plea to the viewers of the show for information about her mother’s case, saying: “We still need everybody’s prayers. I wish someone would call and say what they know and tell the truth.”
What is the full timeline of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance?
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos noted during a media briefing on Feb. 5 that, while times are approximate, his team has pieced together several pieces of evidence that indicate Nancy’s movements—and the timeline of her apparent abduction.
Nancy was reported missing at around 12 p.m. local time on Feb. 1, around 14 hours after she was dropped off at the property following a family dinner. When she failed to turn up at her usual church gathering on Sunday, her friends alerted her family, who found her home was empty.
SATURDAY, JAN. 31
5:32 p.m. Nancy travels to Annie’s house in an Uber for “dinner and playing games with the family.”
9:48 p.m. A garage door at Nancy’s house opens when she was dropped off at the property by her daughter.
9:50 p.m. The garage door closes, indicating that Nancy was inside the home.
SUNDAY, FEB. 1
1:47 a.m. Nancy’s doorbell security camera is disconnected.
2:12 a.m. Movement is detected on a security camera at the home. No footage of this is currently available.
2:28 a.m. Nancy’s pacemaker app indicates that the device has been disconnected from her phone.
11:00 a.m. Nancy fails to arrive at the home of a friend, where she had been due to watch a church service livestream.
11:56 a.m. Nancy’s family travels to her home to check on her and finds the property empty.
12:03 p.m. The family calls 911 to report Nancy missing.
12:14 p.m. Police officers arrive at Nancy’s home.
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