Calif. Man Pleads Guilty to Sending Fake Nancy Guthrie Ransom Note

This is the second major piece of information to break this week in the Guthrie case.

Federal investigators have determined that all three ransom notes linked to the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie, are fake communications, according to an FBI official who spoke to Reuters on Tuesday.

The bombshell revelation comes nearly six months after Nancy Guthrie vanished from her upscale home in Catalina Foothills, Arizona, on January 31, 2026, in what authorities have treated as a criminal abduction.

The FBI assessment covers two ransom notes reported in early February, days after Guthrie disappeared, and a third, more recent message from someone claiming to know the kidnappers’ identities.

“None of the ransom notes are believed to be genuine,” the FBI official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the active investigation.

Officials from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, who are leading the investigation with FBI assistance, have not publicly detailed the contents of all notes.

However, sources familiar with the case previously revealed that the first note demanded millions in bitcoin for Guthrie’s safe return.

A second note reportedly claimed she had died, with the apparent abductors apologizing and stating they did not mean for her to die.

A third note, sent to TMZ in late June, claimed to have video evidence of the abduction.

The FBI Phoenix Field Office later issued a statement clarifying that while some notes appear to be extortion attempts, others “may potentially be legitimate and are still being investigated as such.”