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Chris Swecker, a former assistant director of the FBI, expressed his doubts on Fox News’ “The Faulkner Focus” about a third letter reportedly sent to TMZ. He speculated that it might be the work of opportunists trying to exploit the ongoing situation.
Swecker remarked, “Nothing that TMZ has reported so far seems to have been verified. It’s a convenient platform for individuals to make claims, which boosts TMZ’s viewership but complicates the investigative process. I suspect there’s some deceit involved here.”
Although he admitted the possibility of being mistaken, Swecker maintained his “very skeptical” stance on the matter.
Harvey Levin, the host of TMZ, shared on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom” that his team received a third purported letter. This letter supposedly relates to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie and offers information about the alleged abductors of the 84-year-old.
“Just an hour and a half ago, we received a peculiar email,” Levin explained. “The sender claims to know the identity of the kidnapper and mentioned failed attempts to contact Savannah’s sister, Annie, and brother. They demand one Bitcoin sent to a verified Bitcoin address, emphasizing the urgency of their request. We remain uncertain about the authenticity of this claim, but it comes with a demand.”
Levin added the note included a name and email address to send the one Bitcoin to, which values around $56,000 – roughly the same amount offered by the FBI for information leading to the return of Nancy Guthrie.
Savannah Guthrie and her mother Nancy Guthrie are pictured in 2023. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
“I don’t think this person is purporting to be [the alleged kidnappers],” Levin said. “This person is purporting to be someone who probably wrote that first letter. If the FBI’s operating theory is right, they are going on the assumption that the person who wrote this note took Nancy. And so they’re not saying they’re the kidnappers, they are saying they know who the kidnapper is, and will give that information up for one Bitcoin.”
According to Levin, law enforcement officials are operating under the assumption that Guthrie’s alleged abductor “lives in the Tucson television area.”
Photos released on Feb. 10, 2025, show a “subject” on Nancy Guthrie’s property. (Provided by FBI)
The latest revelation comes on 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 individual approaching her front door and attempting to cover it with foliage.
On Tuesday evening, authorities took one individual into custody for questioning in relation to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, though no arrests have been made.Â
A man at the home identified himself to Fox News as Carlos Palazuelos and said he had been pulled over during a traffic stop. He was detained for questioning but later released by authorities.Â
FBI Director Kash Patel said on “Hannity” that the agency is looking at multiple persons of interest in the search for Nancy Guthrie.
Savannah Guthrie, center, and her siblings Annie and Cameron made an emotional plea on Instagram asking anyone with information about their mother Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance to come forward, on Feb. 4, 2025. (Credit: Instagram/@SavannahGuthrie/Today)
“Without polluting the investigation, I will say we have made substantial progress in these last 36-48 hours, thanks to the technical capabilities of the FBI and our partnerships, and I do believe we are looking at people who, as we say, are persons of interest, but as you know with any investigation, you’re a person of interest until you’re either eliminated, or you’re actually found to be the culprit or the culprits involved, and that’s the stage we’re at right now,” Patel said.Â
Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson, Arizona, home in the early morning hours of Sunday, Feb. 1. Since she was reported missing, TMZ and various news outlets have received two alleged notes believed to be connected to her disappearance.Â