A former FBI agent says four purported ransom emails she received in Nancy Guthrie's disappearance were an attempt to cash in on concern for the missing 84-year-old mother of "Today" anchor Savannah Guthrie.
Jennifer Coffindaffer, a NewsNation law and justice contributor, told NewsNation she received the messages in April and alerted the FBI. She believes the senders were scammers.
According to Coffindaffer, the bureau told her the bitcoin address provided did not match the address associated with ransom demands investigators considered potentially legitimate.
She decided to speak publicly after learning Guthrie's neighbor Lauren Serpa received a similar message and both notes included nearly identical images.
USA TODAY has reached out to Pima
County Sheriff and the FBI.
"That's the reason I wanted to come forward, because I was concerned that now other people might be contacted and might fall for the ploy," Coffindaffer said.
She said the emails reached her private email address and included Bible verses she believed were intended to appeal to her Catholic faith. The senders demanded payment in bitcoin.
"I am concerned that other people that are following the Nancy Guthrie case, concerned about her, could be lured to make a deposit," Coffindaffer said. "Because they send this picture, it showed a likeness of Nancy shaved with dirt on her face, looking very hurt and with a tear coming down her eye. So they really try to weigh on the emotion and try to convince the person that she's alive, and that they can do something to help."
FBI says some Nancy Guthrie ransom demands may be legitimate
In a July 1 update, the FBI's Phoenix office shared that investigators can't dismiss the legitimacy of all ransom notes related to Nancy Guthrie's case.
"Some have been deemed to be extortion attempts without legitimacy. Other ransom demands may potentially be legitimate and are still being investigated as such," the office wrote on X. "This case continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case."
The bureau said investigators continued to treat the disappearance as a kidnapping for ransom. The Pima County Sheriff's Department leads the investigation, with FBI assistance.
When was Nancy Guthrie reported missing
Nancy Guthrie was reported missing Feb. 1, after returning to her home near Tucson, Arizona, following a family gathering the previous evening. Authorities believe she was taken against her will.
Guthrie remains missing, and no suspect has been publicly named.
On July 31, the sheriff's department released two messages sent to a Tucson television station shortly after her disappearance, hoping someone would recognize the writer's language.
Savannah Guthrie has repeatedly appealed for information about her mother's whereabouts.
"Our family is in agony," she said in a July 27 Instagram video. "We will never stop looking for her."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former FBI agent received 4 fake ransom notes in Nancy Guthrie case
