Ex-FBI official flags possible scam as third alleged Nancy Guthrie letter emerges

Former FBI adjunct manager Chris Swecker told Fox News’ "The Faulkner Focus" helium is "highly skeptical" regarding a 3rd missive being sent to TMZ and suggests it whitethorn beryllium atrocious actors looking to capitalize connected the ongoing situation. 

"I conscionable don’t deliberation thing TMZ has brought guardant has panned out. I mean it’s a bully conveyance for radical to travel successful and bash this, TMZ gets immoderate viewership and it benignant of ties up the investigative squad trying to tally this down. But I consciousness a scam here," Swecker said.

Sweker added that helium "may beryllium perfectly wrong," but "bottom line" is he's "very skeptical of it." 

TMZ big Harvey Levin revealed connected Fox News Channel’s "America’s Newsroom" that his outlet received a 3rd alleged missive successful narration to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie offering to supply accusation regarding the 84-year-old’s suspected abductors. 

"An hr and a fractional ago, we got, benignant of a bizarre letter, an email from idiosyncratic who says they cognize who the kidnapper is and that they person tried reaching Savannah's sister Annie and Savannah's member to nary avail. And they said they privation 1 Bitcoin sent to a Bitcoin code that we person confirmed is active. It's a existent Bitcoin address, and arsenic they enactment it, clip is much than relevant. So we person nary thought whether this is existent oregon not. But they are making a demand." 

Levin added the enactment included a sanction and email code to nonstop the 1 Bitcoin to, which values astir $56,000 – astir the aforesaid magnitude offered by the FBI for accusation starring to the instrumentality of Nancy Guthrie.

SHERIFF LEADING GUTHRIE INVESTIGATION SPOTTED AT BASKETBALL GAME AS FAMILY PLEADS AGAIN WITH ALLEGED RANSOMERS

Savannah Guthrie and her parent Nancy Guthrie are pictured successful 2023. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)

"I don't deliberation this idiosyncratic is purporting to beryllium [the alleged kidnappers]," Levin said. "This idiosyncratic is purporting to beryllium idiosyncratic who astir apt wrote that archetypal letter. If the FBI's operating mentation is right, they are going connected the presumption that the idiosyncratic who wrote this enactment took Nancy. And truthful they're not saying they're the kidnappers, they are saying they cognize who the kidnapper is, and volition springiness that accusation up for 1 Bitcoin."

According to Levin, instrumentality enforcement officials are operating nether the presumption that Guthrie’s alleged abductor "lives successful the Tucson tv area."

NANCY GUTHRIE'S ALLEGED BITCOIN RANSOM COULD BE PAID IN MINUTES AS MONDAY DEADLINE APPROACHES: EXPERT

Photos released connected Feb. 10, 2025, amusement a "subject" connected Nancy Guthrie's property. (Provided by FBI)

The latest revelation comes connected the heels of the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Office releasing recovered surveillance images and footage of Nancy Guthrie’s alleged abductor, showing a masked idiosyncratic approaching her beforehand doorway and attempting to screen it with foliage.

On Tuesday evening, authorities took 1 idiosyncratic into custody for questioning successful narration to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, though nary arrests person been made. 

A antheral astatine the location identified himself to Fox News arsenic Carlos Palazuelos and said helium had been pulled implicit during a postulation stop. He was detained for questioning but aboriginal released by authorities. 

FBI Director Kash Patel said connected "Hannity" that the bureau is looking astatine aggregate persons of involvement successful the hunt for Nancy Guthrie.

41-MINUTE TIMELINE IN NANCY GUTHRIE CASE RAISES RED FLAGS FROM EX-HOMICIDE DETECTIVE

Savannah Guthrie, center, and her siblings Annie and Cameron made an affectional plea connected Instagram asking anyone with accusation astir their parent Nancy Guthrie's disappearance to travel forward, connected Feb. 4, 2025. (Credit: Instagram/@SavannahGuthrie/Today)

"Without polluting the investigation, I volition accidental we person made important advancement successful these past 36-48 hours, acknowledgment to the method capabilities of the FBI and our partnerships, and I bash judge we are looking astatine radical who, arsenic we say, are persons of interest, but arsenic you cognize with immoderate investigation, you're a idiosyncratic of involvement until you're either eliminated, oregon you're really recovered to beryllium the culprit oregon the culprits involved, and that's the signifier we're astatine close now," Patel said. 

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Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson, Arizona, location successful the aboriginal greeting hours of Sunday, Feb. 1. Since she was reported missing, TMZ and assorted quality outlets person received 2 alleged notes believed to beryllium connected to her disappearance. 

Fox News Digital's Bradford Betz and Greg Norman contributed to this report.