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By Anna Skinner and Hannah Parry
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Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent Jennifer Coffindaffer said she believes the most recent Nancy Guthrie case ransom note is not legitimate.
Coffindaffer, who has often commented on the Guthrie case as well as other crimes, gave an hour-long analysis of the newest ransom note in the case during a YouTube live on Tuesday morning. In her newest video, she broke down the components of the note and resulting exchange with a woman named Lauren Serpa, who received the note. Serpa and the person who sent the note spoke electronically for hours. The Pima County Sheriff's Department (PCSD) has also been made aware of the potential development in the case.
"The PCSD/FBI Guthrie task force was recently made aware of a new possible ransom note in the Nancy Guthrie investigation. Investigators are also aware of social media comments being made regarding this note and are looking further into this and working to determine credibility," a public information officer for the PCSD told Newsweek. "We do not have any additional information to provide at this time."
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Pima County Sheriff's Department has since released a statement, confirming it was made aware of the message but, "after further review, investigators determined the text message is not credible."
It also warned the public to remain vigilant as it said "scammers may attempt to take advantage" of the tragic situation, and urged anyone who received any communication related to the case to get in touch.
"The Nancy Gurthie investigation remains active and ongoing," the statement added.
The note comes nearly eight months after Guthrie—the 84-year-old mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie—disappeared after she was last seen on January 31 at her home in Tucson, Arizona.
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New Guthrie Ransom Note: What We Know
Serpa, who claims to have known Guthrie, said in a Facebook post that she had received a ransom demand on Sunday night. She said the message claimed that Guthrie was alive in Mexico and directed Serpa to send bitcoin to a wallet for Guthrie’s release. Serpa said in the post that she had reported the note to the sheriff.
Serpa stressed in May that she was not a "close friend of Nancy's." She said Guthrie showed her kindness at a farmer's market almost 12 years ago after her husband died from a brain aneurysm.
The note, according to Serpa, said that for Guthrie to be returned to the U.S., Serpa was told to send six bitcoins, which is equivalent to around $500,000, to a QR code for a crypto wallet. Serpa texted the person back and an hours-long conversation ensued, according to her post on Facebook.
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Serpa contacted police and provided them with the information. At one point, Serpa asked the person who sent the ransom note to share a video to prove Guthrie was alive. A video was sent, but Serpa said it was clearly created using artificial intelligence (AI). The person who sent the note also said the Mafia was involved. At this point, Serpa was confident that the ransom note was not legitimate. She said the authorities said there was not much they could do to address the possible extortion.
Coffindaffer agreed that the note is not legitimate. In her video breakdown, she gave three reasons why. To make her point, Coffindaffer admitted that she had received an alleged ransom note in April regarding Guthrie's abduction.
"I didn't go public with it because I felt that would not be the right thing to do," she said in the video. She did contact the FBI and shared the information with them.
There are similarities between the note sent to Coffindaffer and the one allegedly sent to Serpa, including a request for bitcoin payment, a QR code for an address where the payment should be sent, and in Coffindaffer's case, an AI-generated image that claimed to show Guthrie, while Serpa received an AI video.
The image sent to Coffindaffer, which appears similar to an image of Guthrie in the video sent to Serpa, is an AI-generated picture. It is the biggest reason Coffindaffer believes the people who sent her the bitcoin request in April are the same ones who recently sent the alleged ransom note to Serpa.
"We know this isn't her," Coffindaffer said of the image. "But I believe strongly that it's the same criminal network."
What Happens Next
Authorities continue to investigate Guthrie's disappearance. Coffindaffer urged people to be aware of scams for extortion and not to send money if they receive a similar note but to alert the authorities.
"They need to be found and at least identified," Coffindaffer said of the extortionists.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Anna Skinner and Dave Siminoff.
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