Some of the ransom notes sent to news outlets in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie, were not legitimate, but other notes might be and are still under investigation, the FBI Phoenix office said Wednesday.
“Some (of the notes) have been deemed to be extortion attempts without legitimacy,” its post on X said. “Other ransom demands may potentially be legitimate and are still being investigated as such.”
“This case continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case,” the FBI office said, adding that while it is assisting in the case, local authorities oversee the investigation.
The new statement rebuts a Reuters report Tuesday, citing an unnamed FBI official, that federal investigators have determined “all three kidnapping-related messages” tied to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance to be fake.
Authorities had previously said very little to the public about the contents or the authenticity of the notes.
