AI and Deepfakes Complicate Proof of Life in Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping Case

Savannah Guthrie's demand for mom's 'proof of life' is complicated in this era of AI and deepfakes

When Savannah Guthrie made a heart-wrenching plea to the kidnapper of her 84-year-old mother to send "proof of life," she addressed the possibility of people creating deepfakes. "We live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated," she said. Before artificial intelligence tools proliferated -- making it possible to realistically impersonate someone, in photos, sound and video -- "proof of life" could simply mean sending a grainy image of a person who's been abducted. That's no longer true. "With AI these days you can make videos that appear to be very real. So we can't just take a video and trust that that's proof of life because of advancements in AI," Heith Janke, the FBI chief in Phoenix, said at a news conference Thursday. Hoaxes -- whether high or low-tech -- have long challenged law enforcement, especially when it comes to high-profile cases such as Nancy Guthrie's disappearance last weekend from her home in the Tucson area. As technology has advanced, criminals have grown savvy and used it to their benefit, confusing police and the public and masking their identities. The FBI in December warned that people posing as kidnappers can provide what appears to be a real photo or video of a loved one, along with demands for money. Police have not said that they have received any deepfake images of Guthrie. At least three news organizations have reported receiving purported ransom notes that they have given to investigators, who said they are taking them seriously. Investigators said they believe she's "still out there," but they have not identified any suspects. Separately, a California man was charged Thursday with sending text messages to the Guthrie family seeking bitcoin after following the case on television. There's no indication that he's suspected of having a role in the disappearance, according to a court filing. She appeared in an emotional video on Instagram Wednesday, sitting in between her sister and brother. Her voice cracked as she spoke directly to the kidnapper, saying the family is "ready to talk" and "ready to listen" but also wanted to know that their mother is alive. Images of Nancy Guthrie, publicly shared by family, could be used to create deepfakes, said former FBI agent Katherine Schweit. She said ransom demands over history have evolved from phone calls and handwritten notes to email, texts and other digital tools. A century ago, ransom notes were analog. For example, when the toddler son of famous aviator Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped, a piece of paper demanding $50,000 was found on a windowsill. "Investigative techniques accumulate over time," Schweit said. "There's never less to do as years go by; there's more to do. Digital and forensic work is a perfect example. It just adds to the other shoe-leather work we would have done in years past. ... Nothing can be dismissed. Everything has to be run to ground." Schweit said directly addressing a kidnapper, like Savannah Guthrie did in her video, is a tactical move. "The goal is to have the family or law enforcement speak directly to the victim and the perpetrator, and ask the perpetrator: What do you need? How can we solve this? Let's move this forward," she said. Janke suggested to reporters that the FBI may have had some influence on Guthrie's decision to release a video message. "We have an expertise when it comes to kidnappings, and when families want advice, consultation, expertise, we will provide that," he said. "But the ultimate decisions -- on what they say and how they put that out -- rests with the family itself."

How the use of AI and 'deepfakes' play a role in the search for Nancy Guthrie

Nancy Guthrie's daughter Annie's home is seen Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz. Caitlin O'Hara/AP hide caption The search for Nancy Guthrie continues after she disappeared from her home in Tucson, Ariz. two weekends ago, and imposter kidnappers have swarmed. Law enforcement has said they've received several ransom notes from people claiming to have the mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie. Savannah and her siblings, Annie and Camron, have been posting videos to social media pleading for Nancy Guthrie, 84, to be returned home, and have asked for proof of life before any ransom is paid. "We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated," Savannah Guthrie said in one video and asking for proof that her mother was still alive. As artificial intelligence becomes more advanced and commonplace, it can be difficult to know what's real and what's not, which has complicated the search for Nancy Guthrie, according to law enforcement. But just how difficult is it? Before the days of artificial intelligence, proof of life could be easily established by having a hostage take a picture holding a newspaper of the day, or talking on the phone, said Joseph Lestrange, who worked in law enforcement for 32 years and now trains law enforcement agencies on identifying artificially generated content. Now, someone can ask a language learning model to mimic someone's voice or likeness in photos, videos and audio, known as "deepfakes." The models can also devise fake documents, like passports, Lestrange said. "You give it the right prompts, it can pretty much make up just about anything," Lestrange said. At federal agencies, digital evidence is usually sent to digital forensics labs. Examiners there can judge the authenticity of a piece of evidence using clues such as its location data or pixels. The tools they use are "very effective," Lestrange said, but it takes time for them to draw conclusions. "Time is usually of the essence in these kidnapping cases, especially in the current case we're talking about, where the poor woman has some health problems," he said. "So these investigators are really in a challenging situation at this point." Local and state agencies also may not have access to the same kind of tools, while scams are becoming more complex, and fast, Lestrange said. Lestrange said some agencies are more willing than others to embrace how artificial intelligence is used. This can start to be corrected if emerging AI companies collaborate with law enforcement to "develop products that make sense," so law enforcement isn't "just relying on the vendors to tell them what they need," he said. Although artificially generated content and deepfakes rely on digital tools, human interference and judgement is still a good way to tell if something is off, said Eman El-Sheikh, the associate vice president of the University of West Florida Center for Cybersecurity. "First, calm down and slow down, because a lot of times scammers will try to create a fake sense of urgency in order to get their way before the other people can figure out that this is a fake," she said. While on the call, you can say something that you know your loved one is likely to respond to in a certain way. Or you can hang up and call your loved one directly to verify the issue, El-Sheikh said. People who use social media should avoid publishing sensitive information, such as passwords, addresses and phone numbers, she said. It's also important to keep details regarding your home private, such as when you're leaving the house, or that you live alone. Also, make sure to review the privacy settings on your apps, and toggle the permissions according to your comfort level, she said. "It's very important for everybody in the digital world to be very intentional about what information they say online, and about protecting their privacy." But Lestrange notes that anything you post or share about yourself online can be used against you, even if you're careful.

'Today' host Savannah Guthrie is demanding proof of life for her mother. Deepfakes will make that complicated

Police have not received any deepfake images of Guthrie's mother. When Savannah Guthrie made a heart-wrenching plea to the kidnapper of her 84-year-old mother to send "proof of life," she addressed the possibility of people creating deepfakes. "We live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated," she said. Before artificial intelligence tools proliferated -- making it possible to realistically impersonate someone, in photos, sound and video -- "proof of life" could simply mean sending a grainy image of a person who's been abducted. That's no longer true. "With AI these days you can make videos that appear to be very real. So we can't just take a video and trust that that's proof of life because of advancements in AI," Heith Janke, the FBI chief in Phoenix, said at a news conference Thursday. Hoaxes -- whether high or low-tech -- have long challenged law enforcement, especially when it comes to high-profile cases such as Nancy Guthrie's disappearance last weekend from her home in the Tucson area. As technology has advanced, criminals have grown savvy and used it to their benefit, confusing police and the public and masking their identities. The FBI in December warned that people posing as kidnappers can provide what appears to be a real photo or video of a loved one, along with demands for money. Police have not said that they have received any deepfake images of Guthrie. At least three news organizations have reported receiving purported ransom notes that they have given to investigators, who said they are taking them seriously. Investigators said they believe she's "still out there," but they have not identified any suspects. Separately, a California man was charged Thursday with sending text messages to the Guthrie family seeking bitcoin after following the case on television. There's no indication that he's suspected of having a role in the disappearance, according to a court filing. She appeared in an emotional video on Instagram Wednesday, sitting in between her sister and brother. Her voice cracked as she spoke directly to the kidnapper, saying the family is "ready to talk" and "ready to listen" but also wanted to know that their mother is alive. Images of Nancy Guthrie, publicly shared by family, could be used to create deepfakes, said former FBI agent Katherine Schweit. She said ransom demands over history have evolved from phone calls and handwritten notes to email, texts and other digital tools. A century ago, ransom notes were analog. For example, when the toddler son of famous aviator Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped, a piece of paper demanding $50,000 was found on a windowsill. "Investigative techniques accumulate over time," Schweit said. "There's never less to do as years go by; there's more to do. Digital and forensic work is a perfect example. It just adds to the other shoe-leather work we would have done in years past. ... Nothing can be dismissed. Everything has to be run to ground." Schweit said directly addressing a kidnapper, like Savannah Guthrie did in her video, is a tactical move. "The goal is to have the family or law enforcement speak directly to the victim and the perpetrator, and ask the perpetrator: What do you need? How can we solve this? Let's move this forward," she said. Janke suggested to reporters that the FBI may have had some influence on Guthrie's decision to release a video message. "We have an expertise when it comes to kidnappings, and when families want advice, consultation, expertise, we will provide that," he said. "But the ultimate decisions -- on what they say and how they put that out -- rests with the family itself." -- Barbara Ortutay and Ed White, Associated Press

Savannah Guthrie's demand for mom's 'proof of life' is complicated in this era of AI and deepfakes

When Savannah Guthrie made a heart-wrenching plea to the kidnapper of her 84-year-old mother to send "proof of life," she addressed the possibility of people creating deepfakes. "We live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated," she said. Before artificial intelligence tools proliferated -- making it possible to realistically impersonate someone, in photos, sound and video -- "proof of life" could simply mean sending a grainy image of a person who's been abducted. That's no longer true. "With AI these days you can make videos that appear to be very real. So we can't just take a video and trust that that's proof of life because of advancements in AI," Heith Janke, the FBI chief in Phoenix, said at a news conference Thursday. Hoaxes -- whether high or low-tech -- have long challenged law enforcement, especially when it comes to high-profile cases such as Nancy Guthrie's disappearance last weekend from her home in the Tucson area. As technology has advanced, criminals have grown savvy and used it to their benefit, confusing police and the public and masking their identities. The FBI in December warned that people posing as kidnappers can provide what appears to be a real photo or video of a loved one, along with demands for money. Police have not said that they have received any deepfake images of Guthrie. At least three news organizations have reported receiving purported ransom notes that they have given to investigators, who said they are taking them seriously. Investigators said they believe she's "still out there," but they have not identified any suspects. Separately, a California man was charged Thursday with sending text messages to the Guthrie family seeking bitcoin after following the case on television. There's no indication that he's suspected of having a role in the disappearance, according to a court filing. She appeared in an emotional video on Instagram Wednesday, sitting in between her sister and brother. Her voice cracked as she spoke directly to the kidnapper, saying the family is "ready to talk" and "ready to listen" but also wanted to know that their mother is alive. Images of Nancy Guthrie, publicly shared by family, could be used to create deepfakes, said former FBI agent Katherine Schweit. She said ransom demands over history have evolved from phone calls and handwritten notes to email, texts and other digital tools. A century ago, ransom notes were analog. For example, when the toddler son of famous aviator Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped, a piece of paper demanding $50,000 was found on a windowsill. "Investigative techniques accumulate over time," Schweit said. "There's never less to do as years go by; there's more to do. Digital and forensic work is a perfect example. It just adds to the other shoe-leather work we would have done in years past. ... Nothing can be dismissed. Everything has to be run to ground." Schweit said directly addressing a kidnapper, like Savannah Guthrie did in her video, is a tactical move. "The goal is to have the family or law enforcement speak directly to the victim and the perpetrator, and ask the perpetrator: What do you need? How can we solve this? Let's move this forward," she said. Janke suggested to reporters that the FBI may have had some influence on Guthrie's decision to release a video message. "We have an expertise when it comes to kidnappings, and when families want advice, consultation, expertise, we will provide that," he said. "But the ultimate decisions -- on what they say and how they put that out -- rests with the family itself."

Deepfakes and AI Ransom Notes Are Hindering the Search for Savannah Guthrie's Mother

Nancy Guthrie, the 82-year-old mother of TODAY show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for 10 days after disappearing from her home in Tucson, Arizona. Imposter kidnappers have overwhelmed the search, with law enforcement receiving multiple ransom notes claiming to have her. Agents are still trying to detect the authenticity of a ransom note that set a deadline of 5:00 p.m. PT February 9, ABC reports. The claimed kidnapper asked for $6 billion in Bitcoin. Savannah has called for proof of life before paying ransom. "We are ready to talk," said Savannah in a video on social media, flanked by her two siblings. "However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated."