She believes they were scams. Nancy Guthrie has not been found.
Retired FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer says she received four ransom emails demanding bitcoin for the release of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie. She believes the messages were scams, not contact from the people who took Guthrie.
What the emails said. Coffindaffer told Newsweek the messages reached a personal email address over two days in April, starting April 10. They included an image she believes was AI-generated. One demanded 25 bitcoin and a later one asked for 2. She says she never replied and gave everything to the FBI.
Why she's speaking now. Coffindaffer believes the same sender or senders contacted a Guthrie neighbor in late September. She says the bitcoin wallet addresses matched, though Newsweek has not verified that. The Pima County Sheriff's Department has called the September message "not credible." NewsNation reports the FBI told her the address in her emails did not match notes investigators believe may have come from Guthrie's actual abductors.
Where the case stands. Guthrie was last seen on January 31 at her home in the Catalina Foothills near Tucson. The sheriff's department says the investigation remains active, and no suspect has been publicly identified. Investigators urge anyone who gets a message about the case to report it and never send money.
Coffindaffer, a devout Catholic, says the emails included Bible references that seemed aimed at her beliefs. The Guthrie family has thanked supporters for their prayers since the first days of the search, and this is a warning for people of faith that compassion can be used against them.
What to do. Don't reply, don't pay, and report any such message to the FBI or local law enforcement.
Sources: Newsweek, NewsNation, TV Insider, Pima County Sheriff's Department statement.
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