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Add The New York Post on Google Three ransom notes received from Nancy Guthrie’s so-called abductors following her chilling disappearance have been determined to be fake communications, according to a new report.
Federal investigators determined that all three letters in relation to the kidnapping of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother were not authentic, an anonymous FBI official told Reuters.
The official — who spoke to the publication on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss details of an active investigation — said the FBI assessed the authenticity of two ransom notes reported in early February, just days after Guthrie vanished, and a third, more recent ransom note that claimed to know the identities of her kidnappers.
“None of the ransom notes are believed to be genuine,” the FBI source told the publication.
A second law enforcement source familiar with the matter confirmed the FBI’s assessment that the ransom notes were not genuine, the outlet reported.
Guthrie — who authorities believe to have been abducted from her Tucson, Arizona home — has been missing since Feb. 1.
Since news of her disappearance broke, a barrage of ransom notes have been sent to media outlets, including TMZ.
The first two ransom notes sent in February were believed to have originated from the same sender, the FBI official told Reuters, without specifying how that conclusion was determined.
The first ransom note sent to TMZ demanded a sum of cryptocurrency “in the millions” to be paid, setting two deadlines for payment on Feb. 5 and 9.
The second ransom note, as reported by NBC last week, suggested Guthrie had died and did not demand payment for the return of her body.
The official said that to test the authenticity of the first ransom communication — and possibly trace the demands back to the perpetrators — the FBI deposited a small amount of cryptocurrency into the account as instructed, but it remained untouched, the outlet reported.
Since the deposit was never taken out of the account, in addition to other unspecified means, the FBI concluded that the two ransom notes were sent by an individual who was not connected to Guthrie’s disappearance, the official said.
The anonymous source also said the FBI determined that the third note sent to TMZ last week that claimed to know the identities of Guthrie’s abductors was not authentic — but did not specify how that conclusion was drawn.
The Post reached out to the FBI but did not immediately hear back.
With Post wires