Overview
- Federal investigators said Tuesday they have determined all three ransom-style communications tied to Nancy Guthrie’s January disappearance are fake and not connected to the case.
- Investigators traced the first two early-February notes to a single sender and tested the first note by depositing a small amount of cryptocurrency to the wallet named in the demand, but the funds were never claimed.
- The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has deferred questions about the messages to the FBI and says DNA samples, doorbell and other video, and other forensic material remain under analysis with no arrests announced.
- Savannah Guthrie and her family continue public appeals for information and are offering a $1 million reward as they press authorities to resolve what happened to the 84-year-old woman last seen at her Tucson home.
- With the communications discounted, investigators must rely on physical evidence, technical tracing and public tips to advance the probe, and the shift could narrow leads while concentrating scrutiny on DNA, video and device data.