The FBI has clarified that it has not ruled out every ransom message received following the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, although investigators say many have already been determined to be false leads.

In a statement released Wednesday, the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office said investigators have received multiple ransom communications throughout the ongoing investigation.

“The FBI and its task force partners have received several ransom notes over the course of this investigation. Some have been deemed to be extortion attempts without legitimacy,” the agency said. “Other ransom demands may potentially be legitimate and are still being investigated as such.”
The clarification came after a Reuters report suggested that all of the ransom emails had been determined to be fraudulent. According to law enforcement sources, the report was based on an unfinished internal document, and investigators have not yet reached a final conclusion regarding several of the messages.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, the mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie, disappeared on January 31. In the days that followed, numerous ransom messages were reportedly sent to television stations, TMZ, and members of the Guthrie family.

Most of the messages were quickly dismissed. However, investigators reportedly paid closer attention to two or three emails that included details about Guthrie’s clothing and her home that had not been publicly released.

One message demanded $4 million in Bitcoin in exchange for Guthrie’s safe return. A later email claimed that she had died but said her family could still recover her remains by paying the requested ransom. Another message alleged that the sender knew the idenтιтies of those responsible for her disappearance.

Although investigators have questioned the credibility of these communications for months, authorities say they have not completely ruled them out.

When asked about the investigation during a Wednesday press conference, FBI Director Kash Patel declined to comment on the specific ransom messages.

“I’m not going to comment on that. We are continuing to ᴀssist that investigation. We’ve always been in an ᴀssist role. It’s a state matter being led by the state authorities,” Patel said.
Investigators have noted that some of the ransom messages referenced details that had never been publicly disclosed, including a broken security light at Guthrie’s home and the Apple Watch she was reportedly wearing when she disappeared.

In an effort to verify the claims, authorities reportedly sent a small Bitcoin transaction to the wallet provided by one of the senders. However, the wallet showed no further activity, and no response was received, raising additional questions about the messages’ authenticity.

Investigators have also pointed to surveillance footage showing a suspect unsuccessfully attempting to disable Guthrie’s doorbell camera on the morning she disappeared. Some experts believe the individual’s apparent lack of sophistication does not align with the planning typically ᴀssociated with a complex cryptocurrency ransom scheme.

Attorney Todd Spodek, who specializes in cybercrime, told The New York Post that a highly organized criminal group would be unlikely to combine an elaborate Bitcoin ransom operation with a high-profile kidnapping.

Meanwhile, investigators continue working to identify those behind the ransom messages by tracing the network of proxy servers used to conceal their idenтιтies.

Authorities have also interviewed multiple persons of interest, examined potential DNA evidence, and followed numerous investigative leads. Despite those efforts, the case remains unsolved as the investigation enters its fifth month.’

Source: New York Post