Ex-FBI agent reveals details about disturbing Nancy Guthrie photo she received, says she's ‘concerned’ others may be ‘lured’

Retired FBI special agent Jennifer Coffindaffer opened up about a distressing photo of Nancy Guthrie that she claimed she received along with some ransom emails, saying she believes the notes were from people seeking to take advantage of those following the case. Coffindaffer told NewsNation that she got the notes back in April, but initially kept quiet about them and only reported them to the FBI. The FBI reportedly said that the bitcoin address did not match notes believed to be legitimate.Ex-FBI agent reveals details about disturbing Nancy Guthrie photo she received (REUTERS)Coffindaffer said that she decided to speak out about it after learning that Lauren Serpa, Nancy’s neighbor, received a similar note. This made her concerned that the senders might try to prey on others. Serpa posted on social media about the note she received, and it contained an image nearly identical to the one in Coffindaffer’s note.“That’s the reason I wanted to come forward because I was concerned that now other people might be contacted and might fall for the ploy,” Coffindaffer said.Read More | Nancy Guthrie update: Cajun Navy VP opens up about PCSD's refusal to accept help, ‘They just decided…’Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother went missing from her Catalina Foothills home on January 31, 2026.Jennifer Coffindaffer opens up about the notes and the photoThe notes demanded payment in bitcoin and included a disturbing image appearing to depict Nancy. Coffindaffer said that she believes the senders are part of an organized group. She said the notes were sent to her personal email address and included personal information about her that is not available online.“They found my personal email address. I have five emails, and I use all of them for business except one. And that one no one knows, and they found that email address. I put my sleuths on it looking, and they couldn’t find my email address,” she said.Coffindaffer said that the notes also included Bible verses meant to appeal to her personal beliefs.“I’m pretty religious, I’m a devout Catholic, and they certainly worked that angle in their ransom notes to me,” Coffindaffer said.The bitcoin address on the notes failed to match the address on notes investigators believe may have come from Nancy’s actual kidnappers.Coffindaffer believes she may have been targeted because of her public advice to law enforcement about the case, adding that the senders demanded a relatively low ransom of one or two bitcoins, which would have been worth roughly $60,000 per bitcoin in April and is currently roughly $80,000.Read More | Nancy Guthrie’s neighbor claims she saw ‘strange man’ days before disappearance, ‘Hunched over, in street clothing…'“I am concerned that other people that are following the Nancy Guthrie case, concerned about her, could be lured to make a deposit,” Coffindaffer said. “Because they send this picture, it showed a likeness of Nancy shaved with dirt on her face, looking very hurt and with a tear coming down her eye. So they really try to weigh on the emotion and try to convince the person that she’s alive, and that they can do something to help.”Coffindaffer previously called for a nationwide manhunt for the Nancy Guthrie suspect – the man who was captured on Nancy's property, widely known as the “Porch Guy” – urging investigators to “plaster his face everywhere.” She suggested that investigators should flood traditional and social media with the suspect's photos and even engage Spanish‑speaking communities, per The International Business Times.Coffindaffer called for a full‑scale blitz campaign centred on the masked suspect. She said that the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff's Department should push stills from the porch footage across local and national outlets, and online platforms and community spaces, so that people find it impossible to ignore the image.