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Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has dismissed a new letter sent to TMZ from someone claiming to have a video of missing Nancy Guthrie.
TMZ reported on Friday that it had received a new letter from someone who has previously been in contact with the outlet. In the letter, the person alleged there are two people responsible for Guthrie’s kidnapping and a video on a phone in a secure location shows the “main guy” and Guthrie that was captured on “the day that was probably her last.”
Nanos, who is leading the investigation into Guthrie’s disappearance, responded to the report during an interview on KVOI AM 1030's Buckmaster Show on Friday.
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“I think the FBI has done a number of arrests for false or fake ransom notes,” he said. “It's a shame that that happens, but I think we're looking at another one of those today.”
It comes after new details emerged earlier this week about the content of purported ransom notes that were sent to media outlets in the days after Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, disappeared from her home near Tucson, Arizona in February.
The first note demanded millions of dollars in Bitcoin in exchange for her return and the second note said that Guthrie had died, NBC News and other news outlets reported.
Timeline of Notes in the CaseFebruary 2A note was sent to two local news stations and TMZ that demanded millions of dollars in Bitcoin According to CBS News, it was addressed to Savannah Guthrie directly CBS News also reported that it included specific details about Guthrie’s home, including a broken light on the back porch and an Apple Watch with a white band found on the bedroom floorThat note demanded $4 million in Bitcoin, according to Air Mail, which cites two sources close to the investigation February 6A second note was sent to the same outlets saying Guthrie died shortly after her disappearance, NBC News and other outlets have reportedAccording to NBC News, it expressed regret over Guthrie's death and did not demand additional paymentNewsNation’s Brian Entin reported it said Guthrie was “buried with nature now”Investigators believe these two notes were likely sent by Guthrie’s abductors and they were sent by the same person or people, CBS News reportedSavannah Guthrie and her family addressed the kidnappers in an Instagram after the second note was sentSavannah Gurhrie has said she believes the two notes that her family responded to were “real”Later in February TMZ reported that it received a series of emails from someone demanding payment for information about the people who abducted GuthrieOn February 16, the outlet reported the all of the notes had demanded $50,00 in bitcoin in return for the informationOn February 18, TMZ reported it received a"highly sophisticated" demand for cryptocurrency that isn’t bitcoinJune 26TMZ said Friday it received a new email from the same person who sent previous ones The note alleged there are two people responsible for Guthrie’s kidnapping They said there is a phone in a “secure location” that has pictures of both of the people responsible as well as their names, ages and addresses They also said the phone has a video showing the “main guy” with Guthrie on “the day that was probably her last”The note said they would give up phone password if they receive one BitcoinWhat Nanos SaidOn the Buckmaster Show, Nanos said the FBI is handling the investigation into ransom notes in the case.
“Those two… that someone believes may or may not have some legitimacy to them, and the FBI is working that,” he said.
“I can't tell you much more on that, because it would be inappropriate. It is ongoing.”
Speaking about the latest note sent to TMZ, Nanos said that fake ransom notes can be sent when there’s huge public interest in a case.
“It is a shame that these type of events occur, people have great interest… that’s good because it helps us, but then it gets really gets abused,” he said.
“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.”
Referring to the recent arrests of YouTubers in Guthrie’s neighborhood, he said he had to balance the rights of members of the media and content creators with the rights of residents.
“I have to balance their need to be able to report a very significant, significant event… but we also have to balance that right with the rights of others, and once your right, whatever that right is, oversteps the bounds of somebody else and their rights to exist or or live peacefully, then we have to take some action,” he said.
Nanos Under ScrutinyNanos has come under pressure and faced calls to resign while leading the investigation into Guthrie's disappearance. Last month, he survived a bid to oust him from his position.
In a May meeting, the Pima County Board of Supervisors did not ultimately advance a motion to vacate the sheriff's office after receiving advice from lawyers that they did not have the authority to do so. However, they did vote to refer allegations of possible perjury to the Arizona attorney general.
The board had used a state law to compel Nanos to provide sworn testimony on his work history, disciplinary actions and other issues. Nanos defended his work history and conduct in a 22-page report sent to the board.
That came after The Arizona Republic reported in March that he misrepresented his work history on a public resume and in a sworn deposition. The report said Nanos had resigned in lieu of termination in 1982 after a string of disciplinary issues, two years earlier than he had indicated on his publicly posted resume.
A spokesperson for the sheriff's department previously told Newsweek that the discrepancies "were administrative in nature" and "not intended to mislead or misrepresent Sheriff Nanos' work history.”
He has also faced criticism over early missteps in the handling of the investigation into Guthrie's disappearance.
Nanos addressed the effort to oust him on the Buckmaster Show, saying: “It has always been my belief, the people who voted me in will also have this, the option to vote me out.”
Asked if his handling of the Guthrie case might have spurred the effort to remove him, he said: “I don't think that's a factor at all.”
Savannah Guthrie's Public PleaThe Today co-host made an emotional on-air appeal on Tuesday, asking anyone with information about her mother’s disappearance to come forward.
"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," Guthrie said during the Today show.
"And so since I am, I want to just take the opportunity to ask people, to really to beg people to come forward.”
Guthrie added that even seemingly minor information could prove valuable and emphasized that tips can be submitted anonymously. "We love our mom and we'll never stop looking for her, ever," she said.
Nancy Guthrie’s family is offering a $1 million reward for information that leads to her recovery. A separate reward of more than $200,000—including $100,000 from the FBI—is being offered for information that helps locate her or leads to arrests and convictions in the case.
Where the Investigation StandsNancy Guthrie was reported missing on February 1 after disappearing from her home near Tucson. Authorities have long said they believe she was abducted and have disclosed that drops of blood believed to be hers were found on the front porch.
More than a week later, the FBI released surveillance footage from a camera outside her home showing a masked individual outside the residence on the night she vanished.
Investigators described the individual as a suspect and said he appeared to be approximately 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-10 with an average build. Authorities said he was carrying a 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.
Despite months of searching involving federal, state and local authorities as well as volunteers, no arrests have been announced and no suspect has been publicly identified.