New Nancy Guthrie Ransom Message Rejected as Not Credible, Authorities Say

A possible new ransom message in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie, has been rejected by investigators as not credible, authorities said Tuesday, September 29.

The message surfaced over the weekend after a Tucson woman said she had been contacted by someone claiming that Guthrie was alive and seeking a ransom for her return. The woman reported the contact to investigators, according to The Associated Press. Authorities did not publicly identify the person who sent the message or disclose its full contents.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department later concluded that the communication was not credible. That assessment means investigators found no sufficient basis to treat it as an authentic message from the person or people responsible for Guthrie’s disappearance. It does not, by itself, establish what happened to Guthrie or rule out the possibility that she remains alive.

That distinction matters because the case has produced several purported ransom communications since Guthrie vanished. Earlier messages included a cryptocurrency demand and a later note claiming that she had died. Those communications attracted intense public attention, but federal investigators have separately assessed widely reported kidnapping-related messages as fake or not credible, according to Reuters reporting in June and July.

The latest message therefore represents more of a warning about the investigation than a breakthrough in it. In a case involving a missing older adult and a nationally known family, an unverified claim can generate immediate hope, fear and public speculation before investigators have time to authenticate it.

Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her home in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills on the evening of January 31, according to the FBI. She was reported missing the following day. The FBI describes her as a vulnerable adult who has difficulty walking, uses a pacemaker and needs daily medication for a heart condition.

Federal and local authorities continue to investigate the disappearance. The FBI’s public materials say the agency is seeking information that could lead to Guthrie’s recovery or to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. The bureau has also offered a reward for information in the case.

The rejection of the latest message leaves the central questions unanswered: who entered Guthrie’s home, where she was taken and whether anyone with direct knowledge has withheld information from investigators. No suspect has been publicly identified, and there has been no confirmed proof of life made public.

For the family, the newest development narrows one reported lead without bringing clarity. For the investigation, it reinforces a harder reality: the case remains dependent on evidence that can be independently verified—not on the growing stream of messages claiming to explain it.