The investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance has taken another turn, with federal investigators now reportedly discounting every ransom-related message that surfaced in the case.
An FBI official told Reuters that all three kidnapping-related messages tied to the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother are believed to be fake.
A second law enforcement source familiar with the matter also confirmed the FBI assessment to the outlet.
Nancy disappeared from her Tucson, Arizona, home on Jan. 31. Reuters reported that her blood was later found on the porch and that surveillance footage showed a masked person tampering with her doorbell camera shortly before she vanished.
The FBI Reportedly Rejected All Three Notes
The assessment covers two ransom notes reported in February, shortly after Nancy disappeared, and a third message sent more recently to TMZ. The newer message claimed to identify the alleged kidnappers and claimed to have video connected to Nancy’s final day.
“None of the ransom notes are believed to be genuine,” the FBI official told Reuters while speaking anonymously because the investigation remains active.
Entertainment Weekly reported that the first note demanded $4 million by Feb. 5, with the amount increasing to $6 million if it was not paid by Feb. 9. A second note allegedly claimed Nancy had died and offered to exchange her body for the original amount.
The Cryptocurrency Demand Raised Doubts
Reuters reported that investigators found the first two notes appeared to come from the same sender. One early message demanded cryptocurrency, but the FBI reportedly made a small test deposit to the account listed in the message and the money was never taken.
That helped investigators conclude the sender was likely not connected to Nancy’s disappearance. The FBI has also discounted the third message, though the official did not publicly explain how investigators determined that newer claim was fake.
Page Six reported that one of the earlier messages falsely claimed Nancy had died, while another demanded a multimillion-dollar cryptocurrency payment tied to specific deadlines.
TMZ Received the Latest Message
TMZ reported last week that it received a new email from someone claiming to have a phone with video and identifying information about the people involved in Nancy’s disappearance. TMZ said it forwarded that message to the FBI.
The email claimed the phone contained a short video of Nancy with an alleged kidnapper on what the sender described as likely her final day, along with pictures, names, addresses and ages.
Reuters reported that the FBI now considers that third message fake as well.
The Search for Nancy Guthrie Remains Active
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department referred questions about the notes to the FBI, according to Entertainment Weekly. Reuters reported that the sheriff’s department said the case remains active.
DNA samples and video evidence are still under forensic review, according to Reuters. The outlet also reported that DNA from a glove found near the scene did not match any known profile in a national database.
The FBI has offered a $100,000 reward for information, while Savannah Guthrie has publicly pleaded for help finding her mother.
The FBI Released Images From Nancy’s Home
New images in the search for Nancy Guthrie:
Over the last eight days, the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department have been working closely with our private sector partners to continue to recover any images or video footage from Nancy Guthrie’s home that may have been lost,… pic.twitter.com/z5WLgPtZpT
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) February 10, 2026
The FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department released images in February showing an armed individual near Nancy’s home. CBS News reported at the time that the person appeared to tamper with the doorbell camera on the morning Nancy was reported missing.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos questioned the ransom notes before the Reuters report, telling a local radio show that the FBI had made arrests in other fake-ransom-note cases and that this appeared to be another one, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Nancy has been missing since the beginning of February. Investigators have not publicly identified a suspect or announced what happened to her after she disappeared from her Tucson home.