Nancy Guthrie Update: Sheriff Chris Nanos breaks silence on ransom notes, clears air on investigation as mystery continues

Nancy Guthrie Update: Days after TMZ received a new email linked to the Nancy Guthrie disappearance case, allegedly sent by the same individual responsible for the previous messages, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who has led the investigation from the beginning, responded to the purported ransom note and dismissed its credibility.

Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC journalist Savannah Guthrie, disappeared from her Arizona home during the early hours on January 31, 2026, with authorities later suspecting that she was taken away from her home against her will. TMZ reported that the notes claimed to reveal the identities of Nancy Guthrie's alleged abductors.

"I think the FBI has done a number of arrests for false or fake ransom notes," Nanos said on an episode of local Tucson news station 1030 KVOI AM's The Buckmaster Show. "I think we're looking at another one of those today with what's been reported. But we'll let the FBI do their work."


Nanos, sheriff of the Pima County Police Department, has been working in coordination with the FBI since Nancy was reported missing in February 2026 and is apparently grateful for the ongoing support from the public. However, he also asserted that there have been some bad actors. "It is a shame that these types of events occur," he told host Bill Buckmaster.

"People have great interest and that's good because it helps us, but then it gets really abused. People who call in fake ransom notes, people who claim for the sake of the media and the family, they get out and disturb, in this case, an entire neighborhood."

According to TMZ, the note claimed Nancy was taken on “the day that was probably her last.” However, authorities in Pima County continue to emphasize that their investigation operates on the assumption Savannah Guthrie’s mother is still alive.

TMZ reported that the latest email, forwarded to the FBI, arrived just days after news broke of a second message to media outlets claiming Nancy had died, according to three individuals familiar with the matter who spoke to NBC News. The first note had asserted Nancy was alive and demanded cryptocurrency in exchange for her release. In contrast, the second message contained no apology and made no request for money, the outlet noted.

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.

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