Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping Update: Authorities State 'No Proof of Life' After Ransom Note Declared Fake
The FBI has announced in a statement on Thursday that Nancy Guthrie's family is “still waiting for communication" from the 84-year-old's captors, following an arrest for a fake ransom note.
Special agent Heith Janke, who oversees the bureau’s Phoenix division, confirmed that one unnamed person was arrested for making an illegitimate ransom note, which, on investigation, had no connection to the kidnapping of the mother of NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie.
“We believe there is no evidence to connect this to Nancy’s case,” Janke said at a press conference on February 5. “It was someone that was trying to profit from it. A total imposter.”
Nancy Guthrie was last seen at 9:45 on Saturday night, after having dinner at the home of her daughter Annie, and her husband, Tomasso Cioni. Tomasso dropped her off after the meal, and was the last person to see her alive prior to her capture. Despite misinformation shared online, Tomasso is not a suspect in the disappearance.
Police found blood stains and a broken Ring camera at Nancy's residence in Tucson, Arizona, on Sunday. She was reported missing to her family by friends, who became concerned after she failed to show up for church that morning, leading her children to check her home before calling the authorities.
In a previous statement, Arizona authorities reported that they believed Nancy was still alive and was being held hostage. In a video appeal posted on Instagram, Savannah, along with siblings Camron and Annie. They stressed that the 84-year-old's life was in danger without her prescribed medication, and expressed willingness to negotiate in exchange for her return.
Additionally, the family acknowledged there had been reports in the media regarding alleged ransom notes. “We, too, have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media,” Savannah said in the video.
"We are ready to talk," she added. "However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her."
The FBI did disclose, however, that they were still pursuing another ransom note, sent to various media outlets — one being taken “extremely seriously" by the Bureau.
“The one that went to the media is the one we’re currently investigating and working on," Janke said.
On Tuesday, TMZ reported receiving a threatening ransom note related to the kidnapping, demanding millions in cryptocurrency to a bitcoin address, found to be real upon investigation. The tabloid stated they had passed on the note to the authorities.
On Wednesday, Arizona network KOLD reported receiving another ransom note via email. “There are a few things that we can share as far as what the contents were,” KOLD journalist Mary Coleman told CNN.
“A lot of it is information that only someone who is holding her for ransom would know — some very sensitive information and things that people who were there when she was taken captive would know.”
Agent Janke also confirmed this was the case. "The one that went to the media is the one we’re currently investigating and working on," he said during the press conference.
“This was a note that came in that had facts associated with it, with a deadline, a monetary value they were asking for,” he aded. “The ransom itself, one talked about an Apple watch and one talked about a floodlight, but we’re not going to go into specifics. It’s very important that we keep this investigation moving forward and we don’t want to put more facts out there that others can use to try to profit from.”
However, the FBI did reveal to the public that there were limitations to the investigation of the ransom notes in finding the potential culprits. “There has been no proof of life, and there was no other demands within that letter,” Agent Janke shared. He added that the Guthrie family was “still waiting for communication.”