According to the FBI, all three ransom notes sent to the media after Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance were fake.
The 84-year-old mother of American breakfast show host Savannah Guthrie went missing on February 1 and has not been seen since.
Immediately after her disappearance, two notes were sent to the media: and the recent third message claimed to know the identities of the kidnappers.
But speaking to the Reuters news agency, a senior FBI official confirmed that none of the correspondence was believed to be genuine.
Photo: Reuters
The development may cast doubt on the original theory that Ms Guthrie was initially kidnapped for ransom.
Savannah Guthrie, host of NBC’s Today show, mentioned the ransom demands in video messages and said she was willing to pay.
Her mother, who was in poor health and had limited mobility, was last seen alive at her home in Tucson, Arizona, on January 31.
Footage later emerged showing an armed man wearing a ski mask tampering with her doorbell camera shortly before she disappeared.
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Shortly before her disappearance, an armed man wearing a ski mask was seen tampering with Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell camera. Photo: FBI
DNA tests also concluded that the blood found on the porch matched Nancy Guthrie.
Celebrity news site TMZ received its first memo demanding millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency.
The FBI attempted to verify its authenticity by depositing a small amount of cryptocurrency into the account mentioned in the note, but it was never claimed.
The tearful TV presenter turned to a note claiming that her mother had died
Savannah Guthrie has returned to her role on the Today show. and said $1 million (£760,000) reward remains in the proposal.
Last week she told viewers her family have been in “agony” for months since her mother disappeared.
Coverage of the case in the US has weakened significantly in recent months, with Savannah Guthrie admitting her mother “may have moved on”.