Nancy Guthrie update: Ex-FBI gives 5 reasons why ransom notes might be ‘AI-generated’; ‘the kidnappers were smart…’

An ex-FBI agent shared why she feels the ransom notes in Nancy Guthrie's case are ‘AI-generated’ as the Pima County Sheriff's office made the content public.

Published on: Aug 1, 2026, 10:41:54 IST

By Shuvrajit Das Biswas

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

A former FBI agent shared five reasons why she believed the ransom notes in Nancy Guthrie's case might be ‘AI generated’. Ex-FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer shared her observations after the Pima County Sheriff's Department released the full contents of the letters sent to TODAY show host Savannah Guthrie, and to the family, after the 84-year-old was kidnapped.

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing from her home on February 1 and ransom notes were addressed to Savannah Guthrie and the Guthrie family soon after. (AP Photo)

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing from her home on February 1 and authorities believe she was taken the night before.

The former FBI agent has now claimed that the letters are AI-generated, adding a fresh twist to the case.

Also Read | Nancy Guthrie update: ‘Investigator’ questions Tommaso Cioni's actions as ‘prime suspect’ claims resurface

What ex-FBI said about Nancy Guthrie ransom letters

Former FBI agent Coffindaffer hinted that the kidnapper or kidnappers were smart to use AI to write the letters.

“I have always said and continue to believe this is AI generated,” she added in an X post.

Coffindaffer also listed five reasons why she thought the letters were AI-generated. The law enforcement expert flagged the ‘formal phrasing’, ‘odd grammar’, lack of ‘spelling errors’, ‘pattern driven’ writing, and the use of USD instead of the '$' sign. “USD? No one says that!,” Coffindaffer noted.

Also Read | Is Nancy Guthrie alive? What disturbing ransom notes claim about Savannah Guthrie’s missing mom | Full transcript

“It is in of the best interest of eveyone,” the former FBI agent flagged this phrase as well, saying it sounded AI-generated.

Notably, the letters were deemed to be fake by the FBI as per a Reuters report. Meanwhile, the Pima County Sheriff's Department issued a statement on the Guthrie case while making the letters public.

Pima County Sheriff's Dept statement on Nancy Guthrie case

“The Pima County Sheriff's Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation's Phoenix Field Office have been working together for the past six months to locate Nancy Guthrie. Nancy was last confirmed at her residence in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood in Tucson on the evening of January 31, 2026. Through our collective investigative resources, with the assistance of the private sector, we have recovered videos from her residence showing an unidentified male who knows what happened to Nancy,” they said, adding, “Two videos recovered from Nancy's doorbell camera may be from two separate days. These videos are critical to our understanding of the unidentified male's behaviors and choices. They indicate he took steps to prepare for the event on the night of January 31 to February 1.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shuvrajit Das Biswas
Shuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.Read More

Stay updated with US News covering politics, crime, weather, local events, and sports highlights. Get the latest on Donald Trump and American politics along with Horoscope 2026.