What To Know
- A new ransom note claiming information about missing Nancy Guthrie was sent to TMZ.
- Retired FBI agent Jason Pack questioned the note’s legitimacy, citing suspicious timing with Savannah Guthrie’s return to Today show.
- Pack emphasized that credible witnesses contact law enforcement, not the media.
As the search for Nancy Guthrie entered its tenth week, TMZ received a new ransom note on Monday (April 6) from an individual claiming they saw the 84-year-old alive in Sonora, Mexico.
According to the outlet, the correspondence alleged that while they saw Nancy alive in Sonora, she “is dead” now. The letter was said to be from the same person who sent the initial ransom notes back in February, though this time they demanded 1 Bitcoin in exchange for the location of Nancy’s body. The individual asked for half upfront and half after a public arrest.
Nancy, the mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing since January 31, when police believe she was abducted from her home in Tucson, Arizona. While investigators have released doorbell camera footage of a masked suspect, no suspects have been named.
Retired FBI agent Jason Pack doubted the legitimacy of the new letter, noting how it surfaced on the same day that Savannah returned to the Today show after her two-month hiatus.
“The timing is the first red flag,” he told Parade. “These notes resurface the same morning Savannah Guthrie walks back on television. Real witnesses don’t track the news cycle. Opportunists do.”
Pack also pointed out the letter’s contradictions. “The sender claims to have seen Nancy alive in Sonora, Mexico, but also says she is dead. How do they know?” he stated. “Need more specifics… not the contradicting bits of generic statements.”
He noted that the FBI has had the individual’s information since February and has not paid any ransom demands. Pack stated, “The Bureau does not ignore actionable intelligence out of stubbornness. Their silence is an answer.”
Pack went on to say that the FBI has the means to investigate Sonora, which borders Arizona, without paying the ransom demand. He also claimed that sending a letter to TMZ rather than calling the FBI throws major doubt on their credibility.
“Real witnesses call law enforcement. Scammers call the media,” he concluded.