(NewsNation) — Former FBI agent Michael Harrigan believes one of the ransom notes in the Nancy Guthrie case could have been sent by someone in the abductor’s circle rather than the abductor themselves.

“It could be the abductor, but it could also be someone close to the abductor … who may be feeling pressure, may be feeling deep guilt about this,” Harrigan told NewsNation. “Doesn’t want to get the abductor in trouble but wants to get something off their chest.”

Investigators believe Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her Tucson, Arizona home in the early hours of Feb. 1, 2026. Multiple ransom notes were sent to media outlets early in the case, including two emails TMZ said the FBI verified as legitimate.

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Sources close to the investigation recently told NewsNation’s Brian Entin one of the ransom notes claimed she died unintentionally and is “buried with nature now.”

Harrigan said it’s difficult to determine the note’s legitimacy because it doesn’t specify where Guthrie’s body may be buried and could simply be from someone who wanted “personal recognition, even though they’re anonymous.”

“In these type of cases, where you have such intense national attention, unfortunately, you do get individuals who are capitalizing on the situation,” he added.

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Nearly five months have passed since Guthrie was last seen, and investigators haven’t confirmed a possible motive or released the names of any suspects or persons of interest in the case.

Harrigan theorized the abductor could be someone who never intended to hurt Guthrie, “and things went bad, and they ended up hurting her, removing her and disposing of her.”

Former FBI Special Agent Jonathan Gilliam offered a similar theory in February, telling NewsNation that Guthrie may have been the victim of a robbery gone wrong.

“She woke up, and (the suspect) reacted, either injuring her, or potentially killing her, and then sat in there for 40 minutes trying to figure out what to do,” he said.

NewsNation’s Marty Hobe and Steph Whiteside contributed to this report.

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