The past week in the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie has been a whirlwind of developments, unfounded as they may be.
Members of the media have received two separate sets of ransom notes concerning the 84-year-old, one alleging that she has died while the other claims to know the identity of her main kidnapper and stating she is close to death.
© InstagramSheriff Chris Nanos' response to the notes
The authenticity of the notes has been questioned, however, which was later addressed by Pima County Sheriff Department's Chris Nanos, who has been leading the investigation alongside the FBI.
During an appearance on KVOI AM 1030's Buckmaster Show on Friday, June 26, per Newsweek, he stated: "I think the FBI has done a number of arrests for false or fake ransom notes. It's a shame that that happens, but I think we're looking at another one of those today."
In the last official update shared by the Sheriff's Department, they maintained that the investigation was still "active and ongoing," and they "will continue to follow up on any credible information."
Savannah Guthrie's response to the notes
On Monday, June 22, the first note circulated claiming that Nancy had died, which was later addressed by Savannah Guthrie herself the following morning while co-anchoring NBC's TODAY.
The morning news show covered the story as a typical news beat, cutting back to the studio with Savannah surrounded by her supportive co-hosts, all dressed in black as she stopped herself from tearing up.
© Getty Images"I love you guys, and I love this place and this is unusual and unprecedented," she said to her colleagues. "I don't have any comment on this story and I'm not involved in our coverage, but I can't pretend I'm not here and so since I am, I wanted to just take that opportunity to ask people to come forward."
"Someone knows something. And this story today is a news story on your radar but this is the life my sister lives, that I live, that my brother lives, that our extended families live, that our children live, every day," she continued.
© Getty Images"And we are in agony. We cannot be in peace, however much I try to come out here every day, and I will find that joy, I promise I will. But we need your help. We are begging for your help and I'm not going to miss that opportunity. If you are watching, the reward is there, you can tell us. It can be anonymous. Please do the right thing for us, for our children. We love our mom and we will never stop looking for her."
Why the Nancy Guthrie notes could be a "distraction"
Previously, prosecutor-turned-criminal defense attorney RJ Dreiling shared with HELLO! that the prevailing theory that the disappearance likely involved someone familiar with the Guthries does hold merit, especially given the influx of anonymous evidence.
© Getty Images"The lack of follow-through on any ransom demand makes it look like it was a distraction meant to throw off investigators," he opined. "This is someone intelligent enough to completely hide their tracks, including DNA, fingerprints, and electronic data, but also deranged enough to kidnap this woman out of her home and hold her hostage."
