'There's Too Much Involved': Ex-FBI Agent Says Nancy Guthrie Wasn't Taken for Ransom

In the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, former FBI special agent Harry Trombitas has stated it is "appearing less and less" likely that the primary motive for her abduction was ransom.

The Guthrie family is offering a $1 million reward for information leading to her recovery, bringing the total reward to over $1.2 million, with contributions from the FBI and Crime Stoppers.

Harry explained the risks in high-stakes ransom kidnappings, which are statistically uncommon in the United States.

“There's too much involved,” Harry told Yahoo News. “There are too many ways people can get caught.”

He also surmised that the motive could instead be a "targeted personal grievance," revenge, anger, or another purpose unknown to investigators.

Harry speculated that the kidnapper’s motive “could be for revenge of some type, anger, or it could be for a third purpose that we're just not even aware of.”

While several ransom notes demanding millions in cryptocurrency have been sent to media outlets like TMZ, the FBI has not confirmed their authenticity, and some experts have questioned if they are scams.

Nancy was believed to have been taken from her Tucson, Ariz., home against her will on February 1.

Despite the emergence of these notes, law enforcement continues to explore all leads while expressing concern for her health as she is without her daily medication.

“The FBI and law enforcement will continue to work this case as though she's still alive,” Trombitas said. “I know that with her age, 84 years old, and some of her health conditions that she has, the prospects of her being found alive are not as great as they were originally.”

“We're still hopeful that we will be able to identify who's responsible,” he added, but was unable to give a time frame.

“They’ll continue as long as there is an investigation to conduct,” he said, noting, “I can assure you that the FBI and the sheriff's office are still extremely busy following up on the thousands of leads and tips that have come in, and my understanding is more every day.”

He also said investigators may be returning to those whom they have previously interviewed in the desperate search for new leads.

“Sometimes people forget little things, and it turns out to be significant information,” he said.

The FBI, which has been widely criticized for dropping the ball on the case, as its director, Kash Patel, has been seen partying at the Olympics and signing autographs at official events, has begun putting up billboards of Nancy in Texas, Mexico and California.

“I'm sure there are still people out there that have never heard about this case, as hard as that is for us to believe,” Harry said.

The agent remains hopeful that Nancy will be found.

“I don't think people should be making the assumption that we'll never get [Nancy Guthrie] back at all,” he said. “I think we've proven over and over again that we can recover people after a significant period of time. So at this point, it's still considered a missing person's case.”