RANSOM notes linked to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie have been declared fake in a major twist to the chilling case.
The bombshell update came as a volunteer search group accused authorities of refusing repeated offers of help during the crucial early days after she vanished.
The FBI has determined that all three alleged ransom notes connected to the 84-year-old’s disappearance are bogus.
“None of the ransom notes are believed to be genuine,” an FBI official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The finding blows apart a theory that Nancy – the mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie – was being held for ransom after two notes surfaced shortly after she disappeared.
According to TMZ, the first note demanded a payment “in the millions” of dollars in cryptocurrency and set deadlines of February 5 and February 9.
A second letter, reported by NBC News last week, allegedly claimed Nancy had already died but did not apologize or demand money in exchange for returning her body.
The FBI has also dismissed a third note, reportedly received by TMZ, from someone claiming to know the identities of Nancy’s kidnappers.
That letter claimed the sender possessed video of the “main guy” involved in the kidnapping as well as footage of Nancy on the day she died.
The revelation comes as fresh criticism has been levelled at the Pima County Sheriff’s Department over its handling of the investigation.
Brian Trascher, national vice president of volunteer search group United Cajun Navy, claimed Sheriff Chris Nanos repeatedly rejected offers to send canine teams, drones and trained volunteers to help search for Nancy.
“We really felt strongly that there was a good chance that she could have ended up somewhere along the border, just because there’s a lot of human remains that get found down there,” Trascher told NewsNation.
He said the group’s goal was to be “just to be a force multiplier, extra set of eyes, ears, and hands and feet” for the Guthrie family.
Trascher claimed the sheriff’s office issued “a sort of, like, a blanket declination from the sheriff’s office to accept any outside help.”
While acknowledging his team was “not privy to everything that they’ve done or what they may not have done,” he argued volunteers could have made the biggest difference immediately after Nancy allegedly disappeared.
“I think early on when we were closer to the abduction date, it would have been a lot more beneficial,” he said.
Nearly five months on, Trascher believes any discovery would likely be far more tragic.
“At this point, just to try to bring some closure to the Guthrie family,” he said.
He added: “It makes it even harder when you see Savannah on TV all the time and knowing what she’s going through. She’s putting on a professional face, but behind her eyes, you can tell, she’s still really suffering.”
A spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department told the Daily Mail the volunteer organization was thanked for its offer but informed that outside operational support would not be used.
The United Cajun Navy had previously submitted a 41-page proposal outlining a large-scale search using two dozen canines, drones, thermal technology, former law enforcement volunteers and water search teams operating under the sheriff’s authority.
Nancy was last seen on January 31 after having dinner with her daughter Annie before her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, drove her home to her $1million house in the Catalina Foothills outside Tucson at around 9.50pm.
At 1.47am, a masked figure wearing black latex gloves, carrying an Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack and what appeared to be a holstered gun was captured on Nancy’s doorbell camera before disabling it.
Less than an hour later, Nancy’s pacemaker monitoring app disconnected from her phone, which investigators believe may have been the moment she was taken from the home.
Family members reported her missing the following day after she failed to attend church.
Investigators found drops of blood on her front porch and believe she was kidnapped.
Nancy, who needs daily medication for a heart condition and has difficulty walking, remains missing.
No suspects or persons of interest have been publicly identified.
The Guthrie family is offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to Nancy’s whereabouts, while the FBI is offering an additional $100,000.
