The FBI stated on Wednesday that it continues to investigate the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie, as a kidnapping for ransom. This designation remains in place despite investigators determining that some of the purported ransom notes in the case were extortion attempts by individuals posing as kidnappers.
An FBI official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that federal investigators had found three widely reported kidnapping-related messages in the Guthrie case to be not credible. Two of these messages had been described as ransom notes.
In a statement on X, the Phoenix FBI office confirmed that investigators had received an unspecified number of notes deemed to lack legitimacy in the five months since Nancy Guthrie vanished from her home in Tucson, Arizona. "Some have been determined to be extortion attempts without legitimacy. Other ransom demands may potentially be legitimate and are still being investigated as such," the FBI stated. "This case continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case."
Guthrie, 84, who has frail health and limited mobility, was last seen alive on January 31 at her home. A friend alerted family members the following day when Guthrie did not attend church as expected. Relatives who entered her home found her missing.
A search of her residence revealed that she had left behind essential personal items, including her wallet, cellphone, hearing aid, and medication. DNA tests later confirmed that blood found on Guthrie's front porch belonged to her.
Early in the investigation, three kidnapping-related notes gained significant media attention. The first note was received by KOLD-TV, a CBS affiliate in Tucson, on February 2, two days after Nancy Guthrie was reported missing. The FBI stated at the time that it was taking the note seriously but had not yet conclusively determined its authenticity. This note reportedly set two deadlines for a ransom payment in Bitcoin cryptocurrency.
A second note, reported by NBC News, subsequently emerged and referred to Guthrie as having died, without making an apology or demanding payment for the return of her body. A third note was reported by celebrity news site TMZ.com, from an individual claiming to possess knowledge of the abductors' identities and video footage of the primary individual involved in the kidnapping, as well as of Guthrie on the day she died.
The FBI official told Reuters that investigators had concluded the first two notes originated from the same sender but were assessed as not credible. The third note reported by TMZ was also deemed not credible.
Earlier in the investigation, on February 5, Heith Janke, head of the Phoenix field office, disclosed during a news conference that an individual had been taken into custody in connection with a "imposter ransom demand" sent to Guthrie's family members. Court records from that date show Derrick Callella was charged with two counts of harassment by telecom devices for a fraudulent ransom demand sent via text message to Savannah Guthrie's sister and brother-in-law on February 4. Callella has pleaded not guilty, with a change-of-plea hearing scheduled for Thursday in federal court in Tucson.