The FBI has responded to claims regarding the authenticity of ransom notes in the kidnapping case of Nancy Guthrie, an 84-year-old woman who was reported missing from her Tucson, Arizona home on February 1. The agency's Phoenix field office stated that while some ransom notes sent to news outlets were confirmed as fake, others are still under investigation for potential legitimacy. The FBI noted that the case continues to be treated as a kidnapping for ransom, with local authorities leading the investigation while receiving assistance from the FBI.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department also confirmed that all tips and leads are taken seriously and forwarded to detectives working with the FBI. This clarification comes after a Reuters report cited an anonymous FBI official claiming that none of the ransom notes were believed to be genuine. Evidence from the scene included bloodstains identified as belonging to Guthrie and surveillance footage showing a masked individual tampering with a doorbell camera prior to her disappearance.
Multiple ransom notes were sent to various news outlets, including KOLD and TMZ, with demands initially set at $4 million in bitcoin, which increased to $6 million if not met by specified deadlines. A second note claimed that Guthrie had died, expressing regret for her death, while a third note claimed to have information about her abductors and video footage related to the case. The FBI tested the authenticity of the first two notes by depositing small sums of bitcoin, which remained untouched, leading to their conclusion about the notes' authenticity.