Nancy Guthrie update: FBI provides major update on ransom notes in kidnapping case

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed that some ransom notes that were received in connection with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie “may potentially be legitimate.”

As per the statement of the FBI's Phoenix branch, while some notes have been dismissed as "extortion attempts without legitimacy,” other demands remain under active investigation.

The bureau stated: “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. Other ransom demands may potentially be legitimate and are still being investigated as such. This case continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case.”

“People have great interest, and that’s good because it helps us, but then it gets really abused. People who call in fake ransom notes, people who claim for the sake of the media and the family, they get out and disturb, in this case, an entire neighbourhood,” he added.

The clarification follows after contradictory information was raised by Reuters, which quoted an anonymous FBI officer saying that none of the letters are real. 

This statement is the FBI's update that the investigation of the ransom requests is still underway.

The elderly woman, Guthrie, who was 84 years old at the time, has been missing since early 2026. There has not been any lead as far as her abduction is concerned. 

This particular case has gotten a lot of media attention, and a surveillance photo has been released by authorities.

However, Pima County Staff Chris Nanos expressed scepticism about the legitimacy of some ransom notes during his June 26 radio appearance, noting that the FBI has already made “a number of arrests for false or fake ransom notes.”

For now, the investigation continues with no arrests made and Guthrie’s whereabouts unknown.