Are ransom notes and emails in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance case ‘legit’ and ‘authentic’? FBI profiler raises serious questions on all 'communications' amid ongoing probe

Nancy Guthrie Disappearance Update: As Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC journalist and “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, remains missing after nearly five months since she vanished from her home in Tucson Arizona, a FBI profiler has raised questions about the legitimacy of the sender of the email received by TMZ and challenged the authenticity of the ransom notes, including the latest letter.

Calling all the notes and letters “communications,” FBI Profiler James Fitzgerald said, this guy, I don't think he's legit. I'm going to say that upfront. I'm not sure, any communication, and people are calling them notes, letters, whatever post, but I'm just going to call them communications however they show up. I don't think any of them are authentic and that includes this most recent one.

The search for Nancy Guthrie has been going on for nearly five months now, and besides the doorbell camera footage and the ransom notes, investigators have not been able to gather any concrete evidence to name or arrest any suspects in the case, despite hundreds of leads and reward offers.

Fitzgerald raises serious questions

While discussing the latest note received by TMZ in which the sender claims to know the identities of her kidnappers, who now says he has video of the “main guy” and Nancy on the day she died, with Brian Entin on the episode of Brian Entin Investigates, Fitzgerald said that if the kidnappers know who this guy is who is putting this stuff out there they're going to take him out.

“So, two things. Why to TMZ? I mean, from the beginning, but certainly this one where this guy is now alleging that he has some kind of a hidden phone in a secret place, whatever. And it has pictures of the last day Nancy was alive and names, addresses, and ages of the two kidnappers,” the profiler told Entin.

“Do you think the two kidnappers would know who this guy is who is putting this stuff out there? And if they do, they're going to take him out if they're really these badass, you know, alleged kidnappers, which again, I don't think they are. So why is he doing this?,” he added.

TMZ also confirmed that the new email is from the same person who sent us the previous ones. The sender cited a previously known Bitcoin address that matched earlier communications, and the alias used in the message also aligned with prior emails. The email has since been handed over to the FBI for further investigation.

FBI profiler says ‘go right to the source’

While critiquing the claims in the TMZ email, Fitzgerald said if everything that has emerged is actually true then there is a need to go right to the source pointing towards the authorities working on the case.

“If everything you just said and we're hearing from TMZ was true, go right to the source, meaning the sheriff's department or the FBI, and let them work this case. And they wouldn't go public with it, which they shouldn't. And that way, this guy is safe and his buddies or his colleagues, whoever they are, neighbors, and he knows where the body is and where it's buried, whatever, he'd be safe,” he said.

“So, like virtually every communication we've heard of so far, and we've never seen them. And as you know, along with being a profiler, I'm a forensic linguist. I want to see the actual language. That's what I want to see. Hearing snippets, hearing, well, someone said this and someone included that. Okay. What is the actual language being used? But even that aside, for now, the content of what we're discussing, it doesn't make sense to me. Why would he risk himself?,” he further stated.

The sender of the email also said that he would hand over the password to access the video and apparently Nancy's last, pictures of both involved, names and addresses and age in exchange for one Bitcoin and provided a new Bitcoin address for the transaction. The expert also tried to suspect that why would someone put their life at stake for one bitcoin.

“And if I've done the math right, I think one Bitcoin today is worth like $61,000. That's not a whole lot of money to put your life on the line. So, this guy may just be looking for a quick buyout. I'm not going to ask him for 10 million. They may not pay that. You know what? 61 grand wouldn't be bad, though. You know, tax-free, whatever. So, I'll just ask for that. And if there even is a phone somewhere in some hole in the ground, it'll be bogus with nothing on it.”