The Nancy Guthrie ransom notes have taken a new turn, with the FBI now clarifying that not all of the messages sent to news outlets are what they appeared to be. In a statement released Wednesday, the FBI’s Phoenix office said some of the notes tied to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, mother of NBC “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie, were fraudulent, while others could still be genuine and remain under active review.

A Mixed Verdict on the Notes

For months, investigators had said little publicly about the messages circulating in connection with the case. That changed this week when the Phoenix field office weighed in directly through a post on social media.

According to the statement, certain notes had been judged to be extortion attempts with no legitimacy behind them. Others, the office said, might carry real weight and are still being treated as potentially credible. The agency emphasized that the matter continues to be handled as a kidnapping-for-ransom investigation.

The FBI also clarified its role. While the bureau is lending support, the case itself falls under the authority of local law enforcement.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department echoed that partnership in a statement of its own, stressing that every lead and tip is forwarded to detectives who are working hand in hand with federal agents. For anything specific about the notes, however, the department pointed inquiries back toward the FBI.

Five Months of Uncertainty

The clarification marks the latest chapter in a search that has stretched across five months. Nancy Guthrie, 84, disappeared from her Arizona home in the pre-dawn hours of February 1. She left behind both her phone and the medications she depended on, details that deepened concern almost immediately.

Her vanishing set off an intense effort to find her, drawing national attention and considerable investigative energy. Even now, the case remains open with no resolution in sight.

Pushing Back on Earlier Reporting

Wednesday’s statement served partly as a correction. A day earlier, Reuters had reported, citing an unnamed federal official, that investigators concluded all three kidnapping-related messages linked to the case were fabrications.

The FBI’s public comments directly contradicted that account, making clear that at least some of the communications have not been ruled out. Until this point, authorities had been notably guarded about both the substance and the authenticity of the notes.

What the Notes Reportedly Said

Several messages claiming to come from kidnappers reached local and national media, among them a CNN affiliate and the entertainment outlet TMZ. The details that have surfaced paint a disturbing picture:

• An early demand reportedly sought millions of dollars in exchange for the elderly woman.
• A later message claimed that Nancy Guthrie had died not long after being taken.

Following the second note, the Guthrie family responded through Savannah Guthrie’s Instagram account. In a brief message, she acknowledged receiving the communication and said the family understood, though she offered no further detail about its contents.

Why the Details Stayed Quiet

The decision to withhold information was deliberate. Both CNN and a local station had learned the contents of the second note early on but agreed to a request from investigators and the family to delay reporting. The reasoning, according to CNN’s chief law enforcement analyst, was practical. Keeping the details private would allow authorities to verify any future contact from the alleged kidnappers by matching it against information the public did not have.

A Flood of Competing Claims

The situation grew more tangled as additional messages arrived. TMZ, for instance, reported receiving several emails from people claiming to hold information about the missing woman, with one demanding $100,000 in return.

The outlet’s founder, Harvey Levin, addressed the swirl of rumors in a video last week. He said TMZ had received an early note describing Nancy Guthrie as frightened but unharmed. At the same time, he pushed back on other claims, denying reports that the outlet had received a ransom note containing an apology to the Guthrie family over her supposed death.

For those close to Savannah Guthrie, the steady stream of apparent extortionists has only compounded an already agonizing ordeal. One confidant described the experience as an added layer of cruelty piled onto a family already living through a nightmare.

A Family’s Continued Plea

Despite the confusion and the false leads, the Guthrie family has refused to give up hope. After details of the second note became public, Savannah Guthrie turned to her “Today” show audience with a heartfelt appeal, urging anyone with knowledge to come forward no matter how minor it might seem.

She assured potential tipsters that they could remain anonymous and that no piece of information was too small. Her words carried the weight of a daughter unwilling to stop searching, vowing that the family loves their mother and will never abandon the effort to bring her home.

What Lies Ahead

For now, the investigation remains firmly in the category of a possible kidnapping for ransom, with the FBI and local authorities continuing to sort legitimate leads from opportunistic hoaxes. The distinction matters enormously. Every fake note consumes time and resources, while a genuine one could hold the key to finding an 84-year-old woman who has been missing since winter.

As the months wear on, the family waits, the investigators dig, and the central question endures: where is Nancy Guthrie, and who, if anyone, truly knows what happened to her.