Nancy Guthrie Update: Were Key Clues Missed in Nancy Guthrie's Ransom Notes? Investigators Still Divided

Nancy Guthrie has been missing since February, and investigators are still trying to determine whether a series of ransom notes offered real clues or misleading messages.

The case has drawn renewed attention after reports of conflicting ransom notes, including one saying the 84-year-old was alive and another claiming she had died and was "buried with nature."

On NBC's "Today," Savannah Guthrie made an emotional plea for information. "Somebody knows something," she said. "We are in agony. We cannot be at peace ... please do the right thing."

Which Notes Investigators Believe Are Real

On "CUOMO," NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin said investigators believed at least some of the early ransom notes were authentic and taken seriously by both law enforcement and the Guthrie family.

"Those are the ones that I'm told the FBI believes are real, that Savannah Guthrie believes are real," Entin said, referring to two notes sent to local TV stations shortly after Guthrie went missing.

Entin also pointed to separate emails sent to TMZ founder Harvey Levin from an unknown source claiming to have information about the case in exchange for money. "The FBI took it seriously," Levin said. "They felt that this person might indeed know."

Former FBI special agent in charge Andrew Black acknowledged criticism of the early investigation, saying there were "a number of missteps," while also defending the bureau's overall approach.

"I do trust the FBI's judgment on how to utilize resources," Black said.

Questioning the Motive Behind the Notes

Entin said he still believes the case fits a kidnapping scenario but questioned whether the person behind the notes acted out of panic or guilt rather than planning. "Does the person really feel bad?" he said, pointing to language in the second note.

Guthrie's disappearance from her home in the Catalina Foothills near Tucson, Arizona, in early February has now stretched well beyond four months without a confirmed suspect, despite the extensive efforts of investigators and the wide range of leads — from the ransom notes to surveillance footage of a masked individual at her home — that have emerged throughout the case. The conflicting nature of the notes themselves, with one suggesting she remained alive and another claiming she had died, has only deepened the uncertainty surrounding her fate and complicated investigators' efforts to determine which pieces of evidence reflect genuine knowledge of what happened to her.

The Ongoing Question of Authenticity

At the center of the renewed scrutiny is a basic but unresolved question: which, if any, of the various ransom communications received by media outlets and family members actually originated from someone with real knowledge of Guthrie's whereabouts or fate. While the FBI and Savannah Guthrie reportedly believe the earliest two notes sent to local television stations carry some degree of authenticity, the broader pattern of messages — including the more recent, unconfirmed claim that she was "buried with nature" — has left investigators and outside experts divided on how much weight to give the communications overall.

A Family Still Seeking Answers

Savannah Guthrie's continued public appeals, including her recent comments on "Today," reflect the family's ongoing struggle to find closure nearly five months into the investigation. Her description of the family being "in agony" and unable "to be at peace" underscores the emotional toll the prolonged uncertainty has taken, even as investigators continue working through the various leads generated by the ransom notes and other evidence gathered since her mother's disappearance.

With investigators continuing to assess the credibility and significance of the various ransom communications received throughout the case, the question of whether key leads were overlooked in the early stages of the investigation remains a point of ongoing scrutiny, even as former officials like Black defend the bureau's overall handling of its resources. Given the continued disagreement among investigators, family members, and outside experts about which notes deserve serious weight, the path toward determining Nancy Guthrie's fate appears likely to remain unresolved for the foreseeable future, with the FBI and Pima County Sheriff's Department continuing to seek public assistance in identifying those responsible for her disappearance.