New ransom notes sent to TMZ claim inside knowledge of who kidnapped Nancy Guthrie and threaten to keep tormenting her family for money, a former FBI agent said. The messages, which also claim to know her whereabouts, arrived as Savannah Guthrie returned to NBC’s Today show for the first time since her mother vanished over two months ago.
“They sent these right when Savannah went back to work. It was meant to torment her and her family,” said former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, disappeared Feb. 1 from her Tucson, Arizona home. The latest notes, apparently from the same person who earlier demanded one bitcoin for information, make conflicting claims—first that she is dead, then that she was seen alive in Sonora, Mexico. The sender now asks for half a bitcoin upfront, with the rest after a public arrest.
Coffindaffer doubts the claims, suggesting the sender likely has no real information and is trying to profit quickly rather than seeking the $1.2 million reward already offered. “These people are scammers,” she said.