The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed that some ransom notes received in connection with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie “may be potentially legitimate.”
According to the statement from the FBI’s Phoenix branch, while some notes have been dismissed as “extortion attempts without legitimacy,” other claims remain under active investigation.
The office stated: “The FBI and its task force partners have received several ransom notes over the course of this investigation. Some have been considered extortion attempts without legitimacy. Other ransom demands may be potentially legitimate and are still being investigated as such. This case continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case.”
“People have a lot of interest, and that’s good because it helps us, but then it gets a lot of abuse. People asking for fake ransom notes, people claiming for the sake of the media and family, they go out and disrupt, in this case, an entire neighborhood,” he added.
The clarification comes after conflicting information was raised by Reuters, which quoted an anonymous FBI official as saying that none of the letters are real.
This statement is the FBI’s update that the investigation into the ransom demands is still ongoing.
The elder Guthrie, who was 84 years old at the time, has been missing since early 2026. There have been no clues about her abduction.
This particular case has drawn a lot of media attention and authorities have released a surveillance photo.
However, Pima County staff Chris Nanos expressed skepticism about the legitimacy of some ransom notes during his radio appearance on June 26, noting that the FBI has already made “a number of arrests for fake or fake ransom notes.”
For now, the investigation continues with no arrests made and Guthrie’s whereabouts unknown.
