Federal investigators have concluded that every kidnapping-related message that surfaced in connection with the disappearance of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie’s mother was fraudulent, according to an FBI official familiar with the investigation.

The determination applies to the two purported ransom notes that emerged shortly after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie disappeared, as well as a third message sent more recently by someone claiming to know who was responsible for the alleged abduction, the official told Reuters.

“None of the ransom notes are believed to be genuine,” the FBI official said, speaking anonymously because the investigation remains ongoing.

A second law enforcement source with knowledge of the case confirmed the FBI’s assessment that the notes were not authentic.

The finding casts fresh uncertainty over one of the central assumptions surrounding the investigation—that Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped in exchange for ransom. Two of the three communications had previously been widely reported as legitimate demands from abductors.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which continues to oversee the overall investigation, declined to discuss the FBI’s conclusions. Sheriff’s spokeswoman Angelica Carrillo said the agency had agreed to direct all questions about the ransom notes to the FBI.

“We don’t have any updates, other than this ⁠is still an active investigation,” Carrillo said. She added that DNA evidence and surveillance footage collected during the investigation “remain under forensic analysis.”

Each of the three messages was first sent to media organizations—including TMZ—before ultimately being turned over to investigators. Savannah Guthrie has repeatedly referenced the ransom demands in emotional videos posted online with her siblings, pleading for anyone holding their mother to contact the family directly. In one appeal, she declared, “we will pay.”

Nancy Guthrie, who was 84 and reportedly suffered from significant health problems that limited her mobility, was last seen at her Tucson, Arizona, home on January 31 after spending the evening with her daughter Annie Guthrie and son-in-law.

Although the FBI has been responsible for analyzing the alleged ransom communications, the bureau had previously declined to publicly address whether any of them appeared credible. According to the official, investigators determined that the first two notes originated from the same sender, though authorities have not disclosed how they reached that conclusion.

TMZ reported that the first note demanded a cryptocurrency payment worth “in the millions” and established payment deadlines of February 5 and February 9. NBC News later reported that the second note claimed Nancy Guthrie had died and mentioned no payment demand or offer to return her body.

Investigators also attempted to verify the legitimacy of the first ransom demand by transferring a small amount of cryptocurrency to the digital wallet specified in the message. According to the FBI official, the funds remained untouched and were never withdrawn.

That unsuccessful test, along with additional investigative techniques that have not been disclosed, led the FBI to conclude that while the first two messages came from the same source, the sender was not actually connected to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.

Authorities also dismissed a third communication received by TMZ last week. The sender claimed to know the identities of Nancy Guthrie’s kidnappers and said they possessed video of the “main guy” involved in the abduction, as well as footage of the victim on the day she allegedly died.

The FBI declined to explain what evidence led investigators to determine that the third message was also fabricated.

After NBC News reported on the latest ransom communication, Savannah Guthrie used her “Today” platform to once again appeal for information about her mother’s whereabouts. She urged anyone with knowledge of the case to come forward and reminded viewers that her family is offering a $1 million reward for information, describing the family as living in “agony” since Nancy Guthrie disappeared.

Soon after the disappearance, investigators confirmed that blood discovered on the front porch of Nancy Guthrie’s home was identified through DNA testing as hers.

Public attention surrounding the case has diminished since mid-February, when the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department released surveillance video showing an armed individual wearing a ski mask tampering with Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell camera shortly before she vanished.

Investigators later recovered a glove near the residence that resembled those worn by the masked individual. However, DNA recovered from the glove did not match any known genetic profiles in the national law enforcement database.

Despite the lack of major breakthroughs, Savannah Guthrie has said her family continues “blowing on the embers of hope” that her mother is still alive, while acknowledging the painful possibility that “she may already be gone.”

{Matzav.com}