A former FBI agent reveals why he believes Nancy Guthrie’s The would-be kidnappers had “malicious intentions” from the start. Savannah Guthrie’s The mother is still missing.
“Based on the physical evidence at the scene, they were not going to provide proof of life and they were not taking Nancy’s safety into consideration,” former agent Steve Moore told NewsNation’s Brian Entin. “Everything they did was malicious.”
Moore said one of the things that made the would-be kidnappers look less serious was the fact that ransom letters were sent to various media outlets, including TMZ. He said whoever was behind the notes wanted the negotiations to be made public.
Earlier, someone sent a ransom note demanding millions of dollars in Bitcoin. One note even claimed to know the identity of Nancy’s kidnapper. Moore said the FBI likely viewed the notes as a negotiation rather than a simple transaction.
“They’re not going to play a game where people dictate the terms,” Moore said.
Former FBI Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer Comments on Ransom Notes
Another former FBI agent, Jennifer Coffendaver, recently suggested that Nancy’s kidnappers sent ransom notes to the media Causing “public humiliation” to family members. She also suggested that Savannah did the right thing by not paying the ransom because “Nancy is probably dead.”
Coffendaver further stated that Nancy’s kidnappers “knew they would not be paid the $6 million without proof of life. They knew the FBI would tell the Guthries not to pay without proof of life.”
“So basically, by asking the media and forcing the family to deal with the notes publicly, the public knew Savannah was worth $40 million, but even though Savannah believed the notes were real, they were unwilling to pay. We saw a public backlash against the Guthrie family’s decision. People said, if Savannah knew the notes were ‘real,’ why didn’t she pay?” Coffindaffer wrote on X.
She added: “It was the right decision because Nancy was most likely dead. It wasn’t enough that Porch Guy took her mum, they also wanted her to suffer a public backlash. Public perception was very important to the Guthrie couple; the kidnappers seemed to understand that.”
Months after Nancy went missing, there has been no update on her whereabouts, and no suspects have been found. While the Guthrie family has been racked by uncertainty about the outcome of the case, her daughter Savannah has even previously acknowledged that her mother may be dead.
Anyone with “actionable information” regarding Guthrie’s case is urged to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or the Pima County Sheriff’s Department non-emergency line at 520-351-4900.
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