FBI says Nancy Guthrie probe remains kidnap-for-ransom case

The FBI said on Wednesday it is still treating the disappearance of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie's elderly mother as a kidnapping for ransom, despite determining that some purported ransom notes in the case were extortion bids by imposters.



Federal investigators had discounted as not credible three widely reported kidnapping-related messages in the Guthrie case, two of which had been described as ransom notes, an FBI official told Reuters on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.



In a statement on X the following day, the Phoenix FBI office said investigators had received an unspecified number of notes deemed to lack legitimacy over the five months since Nancy Guthrie vanished from her home in Tucson, Arizona.



"Some have been determined to be extortion attempts without legitimacy. Other ransom demands may potentially be legitimate and are still being investigated as such," the FBI said.



"This case continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case," it added in the statement.



The 84-year-old, in frail health with limited mobility, was last seen alive on January 31 at her home. A friend contacted family members the next day, when Guthrie did not show up to church as expected, and relatives entering her home found her missing.