TRUE CRIME NEWSNancy Guthrie's Ransom Notes Were a 'Con,' Crime Scene Investigator Claims: 'Nothing About That Rings True'
A crime expert explained why they think the ransom notes are inauthentic.
July 24 2026, Published 5:24 p.m. ET
A crime scene investigator alleged that the ransom notes involved in Nancy Guthrie's disappearance are more than likely totally fabricated.
The namesake host of NewsNation's Jesse Webber Live sat down with true crime expert Sheryl McCollum after more information was released on Savannah Guthrie's mom's alleged ransom notes.
"Nothing about that note rings true for me," Sheryl said of the first message received in the investigation.
Nancy went missing in the middle of the night on February 1 after a mysterious figure appeared on the doorbell camera of her Tucson, Ariz., home. The 84-year-old has been missing ever since, with investigators believing she was forcibly taken.
The family received alleged ransom notes at the beginning of the search that claimed Nancy was "safe, but scared."
What Did Nancy Guthrie's Ransom Note Say?
Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy Guthrie, went missing from her home in February.
“Hello, Savannah. We have your mother, Nancy. She is safe but scared. She will be held for ransom, and once payment is received, she will be released unharmed. We will be holding her for a maximum of seven days,” the note read.
“Once payment is received to the Bitcoin address below, she will be released within 12 hours of deposit to a safe drop-off location back in Tucson,” the note continued. “If the payment is not received by the last deadline on Monday, the 9th at 5 p.m., she will be killed. Your mother is aware of this, and her life is in your hands. It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible. You will not be able to contact me from here on out. There will be no negotiation. Do not play games. Law enforcement will not be able to help you."
Sheryl criticized the note for explaining “things that are obvious.”
"Of course, she’s scared. Everybody’s scared," she said. "The whole family’s scared. But if this was a demand for money, that doesn’t even play into what you’re saying.”
'That's Not a Ransom Note'
Sheryl McCollum called the early ransom note 'odd.'
Sheryl called the demands for cryptocurrency an "odd" request and questioned the timing of notes, the first of which was sent two days after she disappeared.
"If this were a real demand, it would have been sent immediately. This gives you two different deadlines to give money, gives you two different amounts," she explained. "That’s not a ransom note."
The letter, however, shared two specific details that increased its validity for investigators: a white smartwatch on the floor near Nancy's bed and a destroyed floodlight in the backyard.
The crime expert scoffed at the idea that the added details prove its validity, explaining the blood found on Nancy's porch tells a different story.
"If everything you did was in the back, how did her blood get on the front porch, and explain the pattern?" she asked. "If you were there, you know what that pattern is. Explain that. Don’t explain a broken flashlight in the backyard. The backyard to me is not in play. Where her blood is is in play.”
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'This Sounds Like a Con to Me'
Nancy Guthrie's blood appeared to be splattered on the front porch of her home.
The FBI, which is at the helm of the investigation with the Pima County Sheriff's Department, has not confirmed if the note is real. But Sheryl claimed that if it is, "it should have never been released."
"If they're still working it, they need to work it. This hurts the family. This hurts the investigation. We don't need people out there," she said.
Sheryl alleged that the fact that the FBI has been unable to track down the sender or the captor is very telling.
"They're trying to track this person down," she said. "And for whatever reason, they're having trouble doing that...It makes no sense…This sounds like a con to me."
Sheryl McCollum said many of the notes don't 'make any sense.'
A second note, sent shortly after the first, claimed Nancy was "buried in nature" after she died accidentally from heart-related issues.
"It doesn't make any sense," Sheryl said. "It just does not ring true to me. If you are still trying to ransom her and she has died, and you've gotten away with it, why are you continuing to reach out? Seems like to me you would get ghost and be done."
Sheryl, like much of the public, is losing hope that investigators will ever find answers.
“It's taken a long time to find just the author of this note,” she said. “We have still not found Miss Guthrie. So every day, I mean, it's less and less. It's going to happen unless this just happens.”
