Investigators examining the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie are assessing a possible new ransom note, nearly eight months after the 84-year-old was abducted from her home in the Tucson area.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said the FBI-led Guthrie Task Force had recently been made aware of the note. Authorities stressed that its authenticity had not been established and said they were examining comments about it on social media.
“The PCSD/FBI Guthrie Task Force was recently made aware of a new possible ransom note related to the Nancy Guthrie investigation,” the department said in a statement.
“Investigators are also aware of social media comments regarding the note and are looking further into the information to determine its credibility.”
A sheriff’s department spokesperson said there was “some skepticism” over whether the note was genuine. No details about its contents have been released.
Two earlier notes were sent to Guthrie’s family and published by police in July. One demanded a ransom of $4 million, while the other claimed that the retired woman had died and included an apology.
One of the earlier notes was regarded as potentially authentic because it referred to specific details inside Guthrie’s home, including a broken floodlight in the backyard and a white smartwatch found on her bedroom floor. The second did not contain such details, but its tone was similar to the first.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said the notes had been released in the hope that someone might recognise the writer’s wording, expressions or style.
The FBI has also released surveillance footage showing a masked man whom authorities said appeared to interfere with a camera on Guthrie’s front porch and obscure it with a plant. The person was described as a man about 5ft 9in tall.
Authorities have appealed for information about anyone who began behaving differently, changed their appearance, suddenly left the Tucson area, or developed a noticeable or unexplained interest or lack of interest in the case.
It remains unclear whether Guthrie is alive. If the newly reported note is found to be genuine, it could provide evidence that she survived.
Investigators were seen searching brush near Guthrie’s home last month. A retired Pima County Sheriff’s Department lieutenant suggested the work may have followed heavy rain that changed the landscape and exposed or moved evidence, although he also said officers could have been revisiting the area after months without a breakthrough or following a new lead.
It is not known whether that search produced any new evidence. Guthrie’s family has offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to her recovery and has not publicly commented on reports of the possible third note.
