Former FBI Agent Receives Four AI-Fueled Ransom Emails in Nancy Guthrie Case

On April 10, former FBI special agent Jennifer Coffindaffer received two emails to a personal address that included an AI-generated image of Nancy Guthrie and a demand for 25 bitcoins, citing a Bible verse. A third email arrived later that day reiterating the 25-bitcoin demand, and a fourth message came the next morning (11:26 a.m.) lowering the demand to 2 bitcoins and attaching a QR code for a bitcoin wallet. All four notes referenced the same wallet address, according to Coffindaffer, though Newsweek has not verified the match.

Newsweek

Nancy Guthrie, 84, mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, vanished from her Catalina Foothills home near Tucson on January 31 and was reported missing the following day. Investigators have treated the disappearance as a possible kidnapping, noting blood drops at the front doorstep and releasing surveillance footage of a masked individual on the night of the disappearance.

Newsweek

Earlier in the investigation, two ransom notes were made public: one sent to a Tucson television station on February 2 demanding $4 million in bitcoin and threatening death, and a second sent on February 6 claiming Guthrie had already died. In late September, neighbor Lauren Serpa reported receiving a separate ransom demand that claimed Guthrie was alive in Mexico and asked for bitcoin payment; the Pima County Sheriff’s Department later deemed that note “not credible.”

Newsweek

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department urged anyone receiving messages about Guthrie to “report it to law enforcement” and warned the public not to send money or personal information. The department also emphasized that scammers may exploit the high-profile case.

Newsweek

FBI officials have advised against paying ransom demands, noting that extortion rings often target families of missing-person cases to extract money.

Newsweek

• Four ransom emails received by Coffindaffer (April 10 and the following morning).

Newsweek

• Initial demand: 25 bitcoin per email; final demand reduced to 2 bitcoin.

Newsweek

• Earlier February 2 note demanded $4 million in bitcoin.

Newsweek

“That really caught my attention because I had never seen that picture that they sent me before,” — Jennifer Coffindaffer

Newsweek