TRUE CRIME NEWSNancy Guthrie Case: FBI Says 3 Kidnapping Notes Are 'Fake' as Search Continues for Savannah's Mom
Nancy Guthrie has been missing since February 1.
July 1 2026, Published 4:08 p.m. ET
The FBI has determined that all three kidnapping-related notes sent to media outlets regarding the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie — the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie — are fake communications.
An anonymous federal official confirmed to Reuters that none of the messages are believed to be genuine, a revelation that casts significant doubt on investigators' original premise that she was abducted for ransom.
“None of the ransom notes appear to be genuine,” the FBI official said.
Nancy Guthrie is the 84-year-old missing mother of 'Today' star Savannah Guthrie.
A February note sent to TMZ demanding millions of dollars in cryptocurrency and setting payment deadlines for February 5 and February 9 was declared fake after the FBI tested its legitimacy by depositing a small amount of cryptocurrency into the designated account, but the funds went completely untouched.
A second note, received in early February, was traced to the same anonymous sender as the first note, claiming that Nancy had died, though it did not make an apology or demand payment for her body.
The third note, sent in late June to TMZ, claimed to know the suspects' identities and alleged they possessed video evidence of the abduction. The FBI official declined to reveal how investigators explicitly ruled out this final note.
Police believe Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her Arizona home during the early hours of February 1.
The case remains an active investigation handled by the Pima County Sheriff's Department in Tucson, Ariz., where Nancy was first reported missing on February 1.
Local authorities, including Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, noted that false leads and media-driven hoaxes have significantly strained investigative resources.
While the ransom angle has been undermined, forensic teams continue to analyze DNA samples and video evidence gathered from the scene.
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Savannah Guthrie and her siblings are offering a $1 million reward for Nancy Guthrie's 'recovery.'
The Guthrie family continues to hold out hope, offering a $1 million reward for any verified information leading to her safe return.
Savannah’s most recent statement regarding her mother was an emotional, on-air plea delivered during the June 23 broadcast of the Today show.
'We Cannot Be at Peace'
A debunked ransom note claimed Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy, had died.
Her remarks came immediately after an NBC News segment revealed that the second, now debunked, ransom note claimed her mother had died.
Visibly crying and seated alongside her co-hosts, she stated that she was not involved in NBC's coverage of the case but felt compelled to address the audience directly, saying, “I can't pretend I'm not here, and since I am, I wanted to just take the opportunity to ask people, really to beg people, to come forward. Somebody knows something. This is a news story today that is on your radar, but this is the life that my sister lives, that I live, that my brother lives, that our extended families live, that our children live, every day. And we are in agony. We cannot be at peace."
