Nancy Guthrie Ransom Note Did Not Say She Died

The Nancy Guthrie ransom note TMZ received was the real deal, according to the FBI, but contrary to new reports, it did not contain an apology or a revelation she was dead.

There is something else ... TMZ received close to a dozen emails from a man claiming he knew both the identity of the kidnappers and the location of Nancy. The initial email he sent -- just days after the kidnapping -- said he would provide information in return for a single bitcoin, but "time is of the essence." He made it clear -- he was not a kidnapper.

The next day, he sent another email saying "time is no longer of the essence." Translation -- Nancy was no longer alive. The man continued to send emails, saying the kidnappers took Nancy to Mexico. He said he needed the money because he would have to go underground for fear of retribution. He was also concerned authorities might try to implicate him in the kidnapping.

We have been in touch with the FBI since the beginning -- when we received the ransom note. Around a month ago, we called the FBI and said we believed the person who was asking for the bitcoin in return for information was authentic. Why would he say "time is no longer of the essence" if it was a scam -- a scammer would want to maintain urgency.

We told the FBI we wanted to do a documentary and asked how the agency would feel if we paid the bitcoin to see where it lead. We did not want to interfere with the investigation or the Guthrie family so we asked the FBI if that would be helpful. They said it was "interesting" and would get back to us.

What's interesting -- we have tried contacting the FBI a half dozen times since, and they have ghosted us. The FBI has always been responsive and they genuinely want to solve this case, but for some reason this struck a nerve and we don't know why.