FBI concludes that Nancy Guthrie kidnapping notes are fake
The three kidnapping-related messages that appeared in the press about the disappearance of the mother of American presenter Savannah Guthrie were considered false by federal investigators, an FBI official told Reuters on Tuesday (30).
The FBI's assessment of inauthenticity refers to two ransom notes reported in early February - days after the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie - and a third, more recent message from someone who claimed to know the identity of the kidnappers, the official said.
"None of the ransom notes are believed to be genuine," the FBI official told Reuters on condition of anonymity to discuss details of an ongoing investigation.
A second law enforcement source familiar with the matter confirmed the FBI's assessment of the ransom notes.
The revelation that the FBI had discounted the veracity of the three notes - two of which were widely reported as communications from the kidnappers - appeared to raise doubts about investigators' fundamental premise that Nancy Guthrie had been kidnapped for ransom.
A spokesman for the Pima County Sheriff's Department, which is leading the overall investigation, declined to comment, citing the agreement to refer all questions about the ransom notes to the FBI.
"We have no updates other than that this is still an ongoing investigation," said sheriff's spokeswoman Angelica Carrillo. She added that DNA samples and video evidence collected in the case "remain under forensic analysis."
The three messages in question were initially sent to several media outlets, including celebrity news site TMZ, before being handed over to authorities for analysis.
Savannah Guthrie, 54, longtime co-host of NBC's "Today" morning show, mentioned ransom demands in video messages she and her siblings posted on social media, urging the kidnappers to open a direct channel of communication with her family and pleading for her mother's return, even saying in one video, "we will pay."
Payment unclaimed
Nancy Guthrie, who was in poor health and had limited mobility, was last seen alive at her home in Tucson, Arizona, on January 31, after spending the night with her eldest daughter, Annie Guthrie, and her son-in-law.
The FBI, which took the lead in analyzing any alleged ransom letters or other communications from suspects in the case, had previously declined to say publicly whether any of the messages under review were considered credible.
Investigators determined that the first two messages came from the same sender, the official told Reuters, although it was not specified how that conclusion was reached.
The first letter, according to TMZ, demanded an amount "in the millions" to be paid in cryptocurrency and established two deadlines for payment: February 5th and 9th. The second letter, as reported by NBC News last week, referred to Guthrie as already deceased at that point, without offering an apology or demanding any payment for the return of her body.
In an attempt to verify the authenticity of the first letter and possibly trace the origin of the ransom demands to the authors, the FBI initially deposited a small amount of cryptocurrency into an account as instructed in the message; however, the money remained untouched in the account and was never withdrawn, the official said.
It was on this basis, and through other unspecified means, that the FBI concluded that the two ransom letters - identified as having the same origin - were, in fact, sent by one or more people with no real connection to Guthrie's disappearance, according to the authority.
Additionally, the FBI has ruled out the authenticity of a third letter that TMZ reported receiving last week; it came from someone who claimed to know the identity of Nancy Guthrie's kidnappers and to have video of the "primary person" in the kidnapping, as well as the victim on the day of her death.
FBI officials did not reveal how investigators determined the third letter was fake.
Reacting to last week's news about the ransom letters - released by NBC News, broadcaster of the "Today" show -, Savannah Guthrie used her program to once again ask the public for answers about her mother's fate, encouraging anyone who knew something to come forward.
Guthrie also reminded viewers of the $1 million reward offered by her family, describing her as someone who has been living in "agony" since her mother's disappearance.
Shortly after her disappearance, authorities confirmed that DNA tests indicated that the blood found on the porch of Nancy Guthrie's home belonged to her. Media attention on the case has diminished considerably since mid-February, when the sheriff and FBI released security footage of an armed intruder wearing a ski mask who was seen tampering with Nancy Guthrie's doorbell camera shortly before she was kidnapped.
However, DNA samples obtained from a glove found near her home - similar to the pair the attacker wore in the images - were not compatible with genetic profiles already existing in a national database.
Savannah Guthrie later said that her family was still "fanning the embers of hope" that her mother was alive, while also acknowledging that "she may already be gone."
Source: CNN