Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield

The Nancy Guthrie case just got even more confusing, as the FBI is now pushing back on reports that every alleged ransom note tied to Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother was fake. Reuters reported that FBI sources believe all of the ransom-related messages are bogus, but TMZ’s Harvey Levin says his FBI contacts are telling him something very different: that some of the original ransom demands may still be considered potentially legitimate. 
In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the chaos over the Nancy Guthrie ransom notes, the FBI’s new statement saying the case is still being investigated as a kidnapping for ransom, the role of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, and why the alleged messages sent to media outlets have become such a critical and controversial part of the investigation. Ashleigh is joined by James Hamilton, former FBI Supervisory Special Agent and founder of Hamilton Security Group, to discuss how investigators evaluate ransom demands, why different FBI sources may be giving different assessments, and what this latest twist means for the search for Nancy Guthrie.
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Alex Murdaugh is heading back to court for a new murder trial in 2027, and one overlooked piece of evidence could become a major problem for prosecutors: unknown male DNA found under Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernail. 
In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the latest pretrial hearing in the Murdaugh murders case with Peter Tragos, host of The Lawyer You Know, including the defense’s argument that Alex Murdaugh’s orange jumpsuit and shackles could poison the jury pool before the retrial even begins, why mystery male DNA under Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernail may get new attention with modern testing, how much of Murdaugh’s financial crimes history jurors may hear, the Becky Hill jury tampering fallout, and whether Alex Murdaugh has a real shot at beating the murder charges this time around.
Follow Peter Tragos:
Lawyer You Know: https://www.youtube.com/@LawyerYouKnow
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A critical new detail in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping mystery may help explain why investigators have been taking the first ransom note so seriously. According to new reporting from CBS, the first ransom note received on February 2, 2026, included a highly specific detail about Nancy Guthrie’s Apple Watch: that it had a white band and was on the floor of Nancy's bedroom. 
In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield is joined by Crime Junkie Breaking News Reporter, Brianna Whitney, who has seen the wording of the ransom notes and shares what stood out to her, including the strange language, the apology, and what it was like reporting on the Nancy Guthrie case in real time as the first clues were coming in.

The person who has repeatedly contacted TMZ claiming to know the identities of Nancy Guthrie’s kidnappers is now making an even bigger claim: that he has video of Nancy with the “main guy” on what may have been the last day of her life. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the latest alleged ransom communication, the new Bitcoin demand, the claim of a hidden phone containing video, photos, names, addresses, and information about two people allegedly involved in Nancy’s kidnapping. Digital forensics expert Heather Barnhart joins Ashleigh to explain what investigators can learn from email headers, crypto wallets, AI-generated messages, machine ID cookies, cell phones, and the digital trail criminals often leave behind. Is this new “video” claim the break investigators need, or the cruelest scam yet in the search for Nancy Guthrie?

Mackenzie Shirilla’s mother, Natalie Shirilla, is speaking out after Netflix’s The Crash reignited outrage over the deadly 2022 Ohio crash that killed Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan. Mackenzie was 17 years old when prosecutors said she deliberately drove into a brick wall at 100 miles per hour, killing her boyfriend and friend. She was convicted in a bench trial and sentenced to 15 years to life, but Natalie insists the public still does not know the full story.
In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield is joined by Chris Cuomo, who sat down for an exclusive interview with Natalie Shirilla and pressed her on the questions still surrounding her daughter’s case, from the crash evidence and trial strategy to Mackenzie’s prison interview, misconduct reports, and allegations about prison girlfriends.
Cuomo Crime Time:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6KWjsqGTmSn_Bcobk4sfIQ
EXCLUSIVE: Mackenzie Shirilla's Mom Speaks Out for the First Time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07TLSVuNg8