The Nancy Guthrie ransom notes at the center of a long-running missing-person case are now drawing fresh skepticism, even as investigators keep pushing the public for help. Forensic psychologist Dr. Kris Mohandie said the letters do not look authentic to him, but he backed the decision to release them because public exposure could generate new leads and renewed attention.
“I don’t think the ransom note is legit, and I don’t think that that letter days later is legitimate — but I think it’s appropriate for law enforcement to investigate it just in case it might be,” Mohandie told Fox News Digital. He added that a strong case leaves room for possibilities, saying, “A good investigation keeps an open mind.” He also warned against treating details in the first note as proof of authorship, including references to Guthrie’s Apple Watch and a broken floodlight. In his view, those details could have reached someone in ways that do not necessarily tie them to the crime.
Mohandie pointed to language in the letters that he said raises doubts about who wrote them. He cited the use of Bitcoin, email communication and the demand for “$4 million USD” as clues that the author may have been comfortable with technology, whether the notes turn out to be genuine or fake. He also said he questioned the shifting pronouns in the writing and the way the first note was sent to a news outlet. The second letter, he said, also seemed off because it claimed Guthrie had “perished” days after the alleged kidnapping, wording he found unusual for a real kidnapper.
Investigators have not all reached the same conclusion. Some federal law enforcement sources told Fox News and Fox News Digital last month that they believed the ransom demands were bogus, while others remained cautious because Guthrie’s whereabouts are still unknown. Early in the case, authorities appeared to take the notes seriously. Heith Janke, then the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix field office, met with Guthrie’s adult children, including Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, to record a video response to the first letter.
