Updated
Updated · Forbes · Jul 1
FBI Deems 3 Ransom Notes in Nancy Guthrie Case Fake After $4 Million Demand
Updated
Updated · Forbes · Jul 1

FBI Deems 3 Ransom Notes in Nancy Guthrie Case Fake After $4 Million Demand

3 articles · Updated · Forbes · Jul 1

Summary

  • Three ransom notes tied to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance were found to be fake, Reuters reported, undercutting a key thread in the case days after Savannah Guthrie publicly pleaded for help.
  • The FBI determination covers two notes sent in February to local media and TMZ, plus a more recent letter from someone claiming to know the presumed abductors’ identities.
  • One early note demanded $4 million for the 84-year-old’s safe return, and a second sent four days later claimed she was dead.
  • TMZ said it turned over several messages to investigators, including nearly a dozen emails from one man who sought 1 bitcoin in exchange for Nancy Guthrie’s location and the kidnapper’s identity.
  • It remains unclear whether the fake-note finding means investigators no longer believe Guthrie was abducted for ransom.

Insights

The ransom notes for Nancy Guthrie are fake. Was her abduction about a motive more sinister than just money?
Five months after Nancy Guthrie vanished, are fake leads and media attention hindering the search for the real culprit?