FBI investigators believe the original ransom notes in the Nancy Guthrie case are likely genuine, veteran broadcaster Ashleigh Banfield has said, after reviewing letters linked to the missing Arizona woman's suspected abduction. Banfield said on her Drop Dead Serious podcast that federal agents consider the first two ransom notes, sent to TMZ and local television stations in Tucson, to be 'real,' even as newer, more sensational messages continue to surface.
Nancy Guthrie, mother of NBC Today anchor Savannah Guthrie, was allegedly abducted on 1 February. Since then, a stream of anonymous letters and emails has complicated the investigation, with some treated as probable hoaxes or scams. Banfield's comments draw a distinction between the early correspondence, which she says the FBI views as credible, and later messages that are still being assessed. Nothing in the public record independently confirms the authenticity of any of the letters.
