TRUE CRIME NEWS'It's Like Negotiating With Iran': Former FBI Agent Sounds Off on Sender of Nancy Guthrie Ransom Notes
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on January 31.
April 22 2026, Published 1:15 p.m. ET
Whoever sent the ransom notes demanding millions of dollars in Bitcoin for Nancy Guthrie's return has been unreliable from the start, according to an ex-FBI agent.
Appearing on the Monday, April 20, episode of "Brian Entin Investigates," retired special agent Steve Moore remarked: "They would provide no proof of life. They didn't take Nancy's safety into consideration, according to physical evidence at the scene."
"Everything they did was in bad faith. So it's like negotiating with Iran," he continued. "They can say they're going to do something, but we sure don't trust them to do anything because they've never demonstrated any bit of integrity or good faith in the investigation."
The Arizona retiree's blood was found at her home.
The 84-year-old mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie has been missing since February 1 and is believed to be the victim of a targeted kidnapping.
The physical evidence Steve was likely alluding to was the blood found at Nancy's Tucson, Ariz., home that was confirmed to be hers.
The FBI later released chilling surveillance footage of a masked man that appeared to be tampering with her doorbell camera around the time she went missing.
'Reach Out to Us'
Purported ransom notes have been sent to various media outlets, including 'TMZ.'
In the first week of the investigation, Savannah and her two siblings addressed the alleged kidnappers in pleading video messages after ransom notes were received by multiple media outlets.
In the first video released on Instagram three days after Nancy vanished, the NBC anchor said: "We too have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media. As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk."
"However, we live in a world where voices and images and images are easily manipulated," she continued. "We need to know, without a doubt, that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please, reach out to us."
- Savannah Guthrie Urged to 'Tickle the Wire' and Pay Pricey Ransom Demand by Former FBI Agent Amid Mom Nancy's Disappearance: 'See What Happens'
- Nancy Guthrie Ransom Note Suspect Is Someone Who 'Wants to Be Heard,' Detective Claims
- New Nancy Guthrie Ransom Note Is Real, Claims TMZ’s Harvey Levin — Despite FBI Allegedly 'Dismissing It'
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The authenticity of the ransom notes remains unclear.
The former agent also told the NewsNation reporter Brian that sending the ransom notes to media outlets, including a tabloid like TMZ, made them seem less serious.
"They wanted the negotiations public," Steve declared, questioning the motive behind the move.
Notably, two new emails demanding Bitcoin payments were received by TMZ on April 6, coincidentally the same day Savannah, 54, returned to Today after a two-month hiatus.
'I Tend to Believe Those Are Real'
The family is offering a substantial reward for Nancy Guthrie's 'recovery.'
Savannah said during an emotional interview that aired on Today last month that she believes the first two notes were likely legitimate.
"There are a lot of different notes, I think, that came," she said. "And I think most of them, it's my understanding, are not real. And I didn't see them. But a person that would send a fake ransom note really has to look deeply at themselves. To a family in pain. But I believe the two notes that we received that we responded to, I tend to believe those are real."
A reward for information leading to Nancy's return was then raised to $1 million.
