Nancy Guthrie Ransom Notes May Be Fake, Profiler Claims

Two letters said to be tied to Nancy Guthrie’s suspected abduction have raised fresh doubts among investigators, who are still weighing whether the writings are genuine. Forensic psychologist Dr. Kris Mohandie said authorities were right to make them public, arguing that the move could bring renewed attention to the missing person case and potentially surface new tips.

“I don’t believe the ransom note is authentic, and I’m skeptical of the follow-up letter that appeared days later as well — but law enforcement is doing the responsible thing by examining them in case there’s any chance they are real,” Mohandie told News Outlet.

“Strong investigations don’t close doors too quickly,” he added. “They have to remain open-minded.”

Federal law enforcement sources told Fox News and News Outlet last month that some investigators believe the ransom demands are entirely fabricated, while others are reluctant to dismiss them outright as long as Guthrie’s location remains unknown.

At the start of the investigation, officials appeared to treat the communications as potentially credible. Heith Janke, who was then the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix field office, met with Guthrie’s adult children — including “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie — to film a video response to the first message.

Mohandie also warned that details mentioned in the first letter should not automatically be viewed as evidence that the writer had direct involvement in the case. Among the references were Guthrie’s Apple Watch and a damaged floodlight.

“I don’t make much out of those two details,” he said. “They seem to be details that inadvertently could have gotten to somebody, and so that’s not enough for me to say, this is something only the killer would know.”

Mohandie said the letters also point to an author who appears comfortable with technology, citing references to Bitcoin, email communication and the unusual demand for “$4 million USD” — details he said could help identify whoever wrote the letters, whether they prove to be genuine or a hoax.

“I certainly question the legitimacy of the so-called ransom note in which the individual is sending it to a news outlet, saying this will be a ransom, so on and so forth, talks about we and then breaks into I in terms of pronouns,” Mohandie told News Outlet. “There are a lot of things wrong with that ransom note, and it raised a lot of questions for me of veracity.”

Mohandie said he also has doubts about the second letter, which claimed Guthrie had “perished” days after the alleged kidnapping. While he said investigators are right to pursue every credible lead, he questioned whether a kidnapper would risk exposing themselves again with an apology or use the word “perished” in place of more common terms.

“I understand why law enforcement needs to investigate these as potential leads, and it is a strategy that has worked,” he said. “You look at Ted Kaczynski and putting that out there on the Unabomber case is what led to it being resolved. So they need to put that out there. Maybe somebody does recognize something unique in these writings.”

Even if the notes are hoaxes, investigators are looking to identify the sender and potentially bring criminal charges, as they did in the case of Derrick Callella, who sent “imposter” ransom demands to the Guthrie family in early February and has already pleaded guilty.

The devil is usually in the details.

However, he added, “the devil is usually in the details.” And while much of the contents of the notes have been publicly known for months, the grammar and punctuation were only available to a select few before the Pima County Sheriff’s Department made them public Friday, July 31.

Mohandie said the surveillance footage released by investigators remains the most significant publicly known piece of evidence, adding that it appears more consistent with a burglary or home invasion than a sophisticated kidnapping plot.

“Unfortunately, I think this case is a simple matter of a burglary gone wrong and then attempts to cover things up,” Mohandie said. “But that’s a hypothesis and good investigators are investigating all hypotheses and following leads, and I think they’re doing their job here.”

The only known suspect, the man who appears in the Nest doorbell video, remains unidentified. According to the FBI, he is roughly 5 feet, 9 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches tall with an average build. He was carrying a black Ozark Trail backpack.

Anyone with information is asked to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI or, to remain anonymous, call 520-88-CRIME.

The sum of all rewards in the case is over $1.2 million — none of which has been claimed.