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Investigators review new possible ransom note in Nancy Guthrie case

The Pima County Sheriff's Department and FBI task force say they are checking the credibility of a new possible ransom note in the Nancy Guthrie case. A law enforcement source told Fox News no new notes are being treated as credible, and a woman who says she received the demand says the video sent with it was AI-generated.

5 outlets · 0L · 2C · 3R First reported Account updated

Updated (version 4). Rewritten with the latest reporting.

Image: New York Post
Image: Newsweek
Image: Fox News
Image: Breitbart

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The story, neutrally told

The Pima County Sheriff's Department (PCSD) said its task force with the FBI was recently made aware of a new possible ransom note in the Nancy Guthrie investigation. The department did not say when the note was sent, who received it or what it says, and told Newsweek it had no more information to give. A law enforcement source close to the case told Fox News that no new notes are being treated as credible, and Breitbart reported that a department spokesperson told 13 News there is "some skepticism" about the note.

Newsweek reported that Lauren Serpa, who says she knew Guthrie, posted on Facebook that she received a ransom demand on Sunday night saying Guthrie was alive in Mexico and asking for six bitcoins, about $500,000. Serpa said the video sent as proof that Guthrie was alive was clearly AI-generated. Former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer said the note is not legitimate, said she received a similar bitcoin request with an AI-generated image in April, and believes the same criminal network is behind both.

Guthrie, 84, the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, was taken from her Tucson-area home on Feb. 1 and has not been seen since. Two earlier notes, dated Feb. 2 and Feb. 6, were released publicly in July; the first demanded $4 million in bitcoin and the second said she had died shortly after being taken. No arrests have been made. The New York Post says the Guthrie family offers a $1 million reward and the FBI $100,000.

Outlets differ on when the department posted: the New York Post says Monday, Fox News says Tuesday and Breitbart says early Tuesday.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left0 outlets

No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Centre2 outlets

Framing
Newsweek centres on the outside account of the note: the recipient's story, the AI-generated video and a former FBI agent's assessment that it is a scam. The Hill's headline and lede stress the sheriff's department statement and its look at social media comments.
Emphasis
Serpa's Facebook account, the bitcoin demand, AI-generated imagery, and warnings to the public about extortion scams.
Leaves out or plays down
Little on the earlier notes' contents, the reward amounts or the unnamed law enforcement source cited by Fox.
For example
“Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent Jennifer Coffindaffer said she believes the most recent Nancy Guthrie case ransom note is not legitimate.” — Newsweek
“The department said investigators are also looking into social media comments about the note to determine its credibility.” — The Hill

Right3 outlets

Framing
The New York Post, Fox News and Breitbart lead with the department's statement, then recap the case, the earlier notes and the search for a breakthrough.
Emphasis
The official statement, the time since the disappearance, the earlier notes, rewards, and (Fox, Breitbart) signs the new note may not be credible.
Leaves out or plays down
None of the three mentions Serpa, the AI-generated video or the bitcoin demand reported by Newsweek.
Charged language
“desperately try to find an elusive breakthrough”“Another Ransom Note Surfaces”“kidnapping”
For example
“as authorities desperately try to find an elusive breakthrough in the case” — New York Post
“If the new note is found to be genuine, it could offer a sign that the 84-year-old is still alive.” — Breitbart