Three ransom notes sent to media outlets in the aftermath of Nancy Guthrie's January disappearance have been ruled fake by federal investigators. The notes, sent between early February and late June, demanded millions in Bitcoin and claimed knowledge of her abduction and death. FBI agents conducting verification by sending test funds to a provided Bitcoin address found the money remained untouched, and combined with other investigative methods, determined all three notes—including a third from a different source—were hoaxes.

The revelation fundamentally undermines the abduction-for-ransom theory that had dominated media coverage and public discussion of the 84-year-old's disappearance. Savannah Guthrie and media outlets had previously treated the notes as credible leads, with the Today host referencing them during public appeals for information. The case now stands without the primary evidence that had shaped its narrative, leaving investigators to pursue alternative explanations for Nancy Guthrie's whereabouts.