😱⚠️ NEW FBI UPDATE RAISES MORE QUESTIONS In the ongoing Nancy Guthrie investigation, the FBI says certain ransom notes are still under review and could be potentially legitimate, though no final conclusions have been made. Officials are continuing to examine the evidence carefully, as investigators work to determine whether the messages are connected to the original abduction case. 📌 Full story and investigation details in comments 👇

FBI Releases New Statement About Nancy Guthrie, Says Some Ransom Notes Are ‘Still Being Investigated’ as ‘Potentially Legitimate’

According to the FBI, “this case continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case”

Nancy Guthrie.Credit : Savannah Guthrie/Instagram

NEED TO KNOW

The FBI says some ransom notes in Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping case may be legitimate and are still under investigation
This comes after an earlier report from Reuters citing an FBI official who claimed all three ransom notes were fake
Nancy, Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, was abducted from her Tucson home in February and remains missing

The FBI says there have been “several ransom notes” over the course of the investigation into the kidnapping of Savannah Guthrie’s mother Nancy Guthrie, some of which haven’t yet been ruled out.

In a new statement released Wednesday, July 1, FBI Phoenix said that while some of the notes “have been deemed to be extortion attempts without legitimacy,” other ransom demands “may potentially be legitimate and are still being investigated as such.”

The official statement comes after an earlier Reuters report claimed the ransom notes were fake, citing an FBI source with knowledge of the case.

Nancy’s case “continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case,” according to the statement.

Savannah Guthrie and her mother, Nancy Guthrie, on the ‘Today’ set in 2023.Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

Nancy, the 84-year-old mom of the Today show host, was abducted from her Tucson, Ariz., home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, and in the months since, no official suspects have been identified and her whereabouts remain unknown.

In response to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the claim that the ransom notes were fake, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which started the investigation into Nancy’s abduction, reiterated that the case is active and ongoing.

Following the FBI’s new statement, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department also then widely shared a new statement of their own, emphasizing that “every tip and lead is taken seriously.”

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When asked about Reuters’ report at an unrelated press conference Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel declined to comment, saying the investigation was being led by state authorities and that the FBI was serving in an assisting role— which the organization’s latest statement confirms.

“The FBI has and will continue to offer all assistance possible in the investigation — however local authorities remain the lead,” said FBI Phoenix.

Savannah Guthrie and her mother, Nancy Guthrie.Savannah Guthrie/Instagram

Back in March, shortly before she made her return to anchoring the Today show, Savannah opened up about her thoughts on the ransom notes during an emotional interview with Hoda Kotb.

“There are a lot of different notes, I think, that came. I think most of them — it’s my understanding — are not real. I didn’t see them,” Savannah said at the time. “But the person that would send a fake ransom note really has to look deeply at themselves to a family in pain. But I believe the two notes that we received that we responded to, I tend to believe those are real.”

On June 26, TMZ reported that they had received a third letter— one that claimed to have “a phone stashed in a secure location” containing what they said was a video of the “main guy” with Nancy on the day the sender described as “probably her last.”

The letter further claimed that two people were involved in the kidnapping, alleging the phone contains “pictures of both involved, names and addresses and age.”

The outlet reported that it forwarded the email to the FBI.