The FBI have received "several" ransom notes related to Nancy Guthrie's disappearance and believe some "may potentially be legitimate".
The 84-year-old mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie went missing from her Arizona home in the early hours of 1 February and her whereabout are still unknown, with no suspects have been identified, but authorities are still investigating a number of leads.
Last month, a ransom note sent to a US TV station suggested Nancy had died shortly after being abducted but it was later reported that the contents of a few notes which had been made public were deemed to be fake, a claim the FBI have now responded to.
The agency confirmed that while somemessages have been deemed “extortion attempts without legitimacy”, others remain under investigation.
They wrote in a statement shared on social media: “The FBI and its task force partners have received several ransom notes over the course of this investigation.
“Some have been deemed to be extortion attempts without legitimacy. Other ransom demands may potentially be legitimate and are still being investigated as such. This case continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case.”
In addition, the Pima County Sheriff's Department, who are investigating Nancy's disappearance, have stressed that "every tip and lead is taken seriously."
Back in March, Savannah hit out at the fake notes they had received.
Speaking on Today before she returned to presenting duties, she said: “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.
“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.”
Tucson TV station KOLD received two notes last month which were being treated as potentially credible.
NBC News reports the first note demanded a transfer of crypto currency in exchange for Nancy's safe return but the second suggested she had died after being abducted. The outlet states the second note suggested the abductors did not mean to kill Nancy and did not offer an apology or demand payment for the release of the body.
The existence of both notes was previously known but the contents were not been disclosed publicly, according to NBC News.
KOLD's 13 News confirmed the station "received two notes in the days after Guthrie went missing from her Catalina Foothills home on Feb. 1".
The 13 News report added: "Just like then, 13 News is now not releasing the full details of the notes out of respect for the family and the investigation. We also shared the IP address from which the notes came to law enforcement."
The article added the first note was received a day after the release of doorbell footage which showed a masked man outside Nancy's home shortly before the vanished and featured details of the crime scene and demanded "millions in Bitcoin" in exchange for her safe return however in the second note "the writer claimed Guthrie had died after the abduction".
The piece by 13 News went on to reveal the Guthrie family took both notes seriously because they were very similar and came from the same "computer address".
The notes were shared with investigators who praised staff at the TV station for their "sensitivity".
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement: “We both (FBI and PCSD) are grateful for the media’s attention and assistance in handling such pieces of evidence with such sensitivity to both the case and the family."
