The FBI appears to be keeping its options open as it examines a series of alleged ransom notes tied to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, though a leading criminologist says there is currently “no reason” to treat them as authentic.
Dr. Casey Jordan, a behavioral analyst, said the biggest red flag is the absence of any meaningful contact from the people claiming responsibility for Guthrie’s disappearance. In the five months since she vanished, the family has not received a verified communication channel or any proof that she is alive.
“The No. 1 reason, and this is probably 90% of it, is that nothing, no communication is offered, any proof of life, proof of death, evidence of anything,” Jordan told NewsNation on Saturday, strongly casting doubt on the credibility of the notes.
“So, without any proof of life or death, there is no reason to believe that they’re real. [The FBI] is just kind of hedging their bets,” she added.
The FBI said last week that Guthrie’s disappearance remains under investigation as a kidnapping-for-ransom case, five months after the 84-year-old was taken from her home in Tucson, Arizona.
At the same time, the bureau acknowledged that some of the notes reviewed by investigators have already been “deemed to be extortion attempts without legitimacy.”
“Other ransom demands may potentially be legitimate and are still being investigated as such,” the agency said.
Law enforcement sources previously told The Post that the FBI does not believe any of the ransom notes are genuine. However, because the investigative review has not yet been completed, the bureau has not issued a final determination.
A pair of notes, reportedly from the same IP address, were sent to Guthrie’s family and news outlets days after she was abducted.
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The first claimed that the missing grandmother was safe and demanded $4 million in bitcoin, while the second claimed Guthrie — who had a heart condition — had died and been buried in nature, and offered a rambling “apology” for the accidental death.
Last month, a note sent to TMZ claimed to know the identity of her so-called kidnappers and contained a video from the day Guthrie supposedly died.
The person behind the note claimed there were two kidnappers involved.
“I have a phone stashed in a secure location guaranteeing both the information it stores and the safety of the phone,” the outlet reported.
“What it contains is my definition of delivering them on a silver platter, a short video of the main guy with Nancy the day that was probably her last, pictures of both involved, names and addresses and age.”
The sender claimed the phone is in a “location easy to access if you know where it is,” and said he would cough up the password for one bitcoin. TMZ alerted the FBI after receiving the email.
There are no known suspects relating to Guthrie’s disappearance.
The Guthrie family has received bogus notes. Derrick Callella pleaded guilty to sending a note to Guthrie’s daughter Annie and son-in-law Tommaso Cioni, days after the matriarch vanished, according to a criminal complaint filed in Arizona federal court.
Callella’s note was not linked to a Feb. 2 ransom demand sent to local media and TMZ, Fox News reported, citing court documents.
Embattled Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos — who spearheads the sheriff’s department tasked with finding Guthrie — said it’s a “shame” fake ransom notes are sent.
