The Arizona sheriff tasked with finding Nancy Guthrie has dismissed a new letter sent to TMZ from someone claiming to have a video of the missing 84-year-old — amid fresh criticism of his handling of the case.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos was asked about the supposed new ransom note that alleges two people were responsible for Guthrie’s kidnapping and that a video on a phone in a secure location shows the “main” kidnapper.
“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,” Sheriff Nanos said during an interview Friday on local radio outlet KVOI AM 1030.
“It is a shame that these types of events occur; people have great interest… that’s good because it helps us, but then it gets really abused,” he continued.
“People who call in fake ransom notes, people who claim for the sake of media and the family, they get out and disturb, in this case, an entire neighborhood.”
TMZ claimed the note stated Guthrie was captured on “the day that was probably her last,” although Pima County has insisted they are still working on the principle that the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie is still alive.
It comes after new details emerged last week about the content of the earlier purported ransom notes sent to the media in the days after Guthrie vanished from her home near Tucson, Arizona, in early February.
The first note, sent Feb. 2, demanded millions of dollars in Bitcoin in exchange for her return, while a second note, sent Feb. 6, stated that Guthrie had died.
Later in February, a series of emails from someone demanding payment for information about Guthrie’s supposed abductors was reportedly sent to TMZ.
The new email received on Friday was sent by the same person who sent the previous ones, the outlet reported.
The note’s author said they would give up the phone password in exchange for one bitcoin.
Sheriff Nanos admitted that two of the notes may be genuine, but said the FBI is handling the investigation.
“Those two… that someone believes may or may not have some legitimacy to them, and the FBI is working that,” he said in the same interview.
“I can’t tell you much more on that, because it would be inappropriate. It is ongoing,” Nanos added.
Nanos has come under heavy scrutiny over his handling of the Guthrie case, and last month survived a bid to force him out of his position. A May meeting of the Pima County Board of Supervisors ultimately did not advance a motion to vacate the sheriff’s office.
However, the board voted to refer possible perjury allegations to the Arizona attorney general after reports in March that Nanos had misrepresented his work history on a public resume and in a sworn deposition.
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