FBI releases footage of potential suspect in Nancy Guthrie case
The FBI has released terrifying photos and videos of the suspect in the Nancy Guthrie abduction in a major evidence breakthrough in the slow-moving case.
An armed, masked figure wearing black latex gloves was filmed tampering with the 84-year-old's doorbell camera at her $1 million home in Tucson, Arizona, on the morning of her disappearance.
The nightmarish footage were released on the tenth day of the the hunt for the mother of Savannah Guthrie.
The figure, clad in a ski mask and carrying a backpack, was seen tampering with Nancy's Nest doorbell camera. It is unclear if the individual is male or female, but some images appear to show facial hair above their top lip.
Kash Patel said that the bureau and Pima County Sheriff's Department had to deep dive into backend systems to uncover the footage.
The FBI director added: 'As of this morning, law enforcement has uncovered these previously inaccessible new images showing an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie's front door the morning of her disappearance.'
A gun inside a holster appears to be clipped onto the individual and a penlight seems to be in their mouth.
Footage Shows Suspect Tearing Down Nest Camera
The suspect ripped the Nest camera from its holder on the frame of the door. It was missing by the time sheriff's deputies arrived on the scene that morning, on February 1.
Subsequent video released by officials showed the individual attempting to cover the lens with a clenched fist before searching the area around the door and ripping a bunch of flowers from the entrance way and waving them at the camera.
Another clip shared by the FBI showed the individual hunched over as they made their first approach to the door, bowing their head as they did.
Nancy did not have a subscription to Nest which would have uploaded the images and saved them to a cloud storage platform. This meant investigators took longer to extract the images from her camera.
The images were released after investigators asked Nancy's household staff to submit DNA swabs they intend to check against samples found inside the grandmother's home.
Savannah Shares Photos on Her Instagram
Savannah shared the haunting stills to her own Instagram page, saying: 'We believe she is still alive. Bring her home.'
The 84-year-old was last seen entering her home in Tucson, Arizona, on the evening of January 31 after having dinner with her daughter Annie and son-in-law Tommaso.
The next morning she was reported missing after she failed to turn up for a virtual church service with friends.
Since then law enforcement have continued to comb over the $1 million home and the surrounding area while her daughter, Today anchor Savannah Guthrie, pleaded for help in finding her mother.
Annie and Tommaso realized she was missing around 11.10am last Sunday, the Pima County Sheriff's Office said.
They reported her disappearance to police at 12.15pm. Her phone, wallet, vital daily medications and car were all still at her $1 million Catalina Foothills home.
Cioni said he saw his mother-in-law enter her home through the garage before driving off the night before at at around 9:45pm MT.
Investigators found drops of blood on Nancy's front porch that were later confirmed to be hers and that her doorbell camera was disconnected at around 1.45am.
Medical Concerns Raised As Ransom Notes Reported
Less than 30 minutes later, her security camera detected movement. Her pacemaker stopped transmitting data to her Apple Watch and phone shortly afterwards, suggesting she had been taken out of the devices' range.
Nancy requires medication every 24 hours and it is unclear if whoever abducted her has ensured she has access to her medications.
The Pima County Sheriff's Office said it has no suspects and that there has been little new information about the case since last week.
A ransom note sent to multiple news outlets last week stipulated an initial deadline of Thursday evening, with a final deadline for Monday evening.
The notes are said to have made specific reference to damage to Nancy's home and the placement of a possession, both details that have not been shared with the public.
It is unclear if those specific pieces of information were accurate.
Ransom Claims Remain Unverified
Guthrie said she and her family were taking the demands seriously but there has been no official update on whether the notes' contents have been verified and if their senders really are holding Nancy captive.
Efforts to negotiate with alleged captors also came to a standstill as a digital wallet referenced in the first letter for a potential transaction remained empty, according to, which was sent a copy of the note.
Once the payment was made, the alleged kidnappers claimed they would return Nancy to Tucson within 12 hours, the outlet reported.
After Monday's deadline passed, the FBI said it 'is not aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers...'
FBI Takes Lead as Search for Nancy Continues
The bureau is now leading all elements of the investigation in connection with Nancy's kidnapping, including alleged ransom notes.
That announcement came as Savannah released a video message to her social media, pleading for help in finding her mother.
The search escalated on Friday when forensics returned to her home for a third time to collect new evidence, including a car from her garage and a camera from her roof.
Earlier that day, PCSD Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News that he believes that Nancy is 'still alive.'
While Nanos offered an optimistic view of the search, he previously admitted that investigators are in a race against time.
Expert: Nancy Guthrie's kidnappers have made two errors
Nancy Guthrie's abductors planned to make millions out of her family but made critical mistakes which could help law enforcement crack the case, a top hostage negotiator has claimed.
Her captors have showed some 'expertise' but have also made two key errors which suggest their planning was not thorough enough, and which could mean their plot has already unraveled, former FBI hostage negotiator Chip Massey said.
Their first error was their apparent struggle to abduct Nancy, Massey said, with blood later confirmed to be hers found spattered on her front porch alongside apparent signs of forced entry.
'I think what is troubling is the apparent struggle that happened at the doorway of the house. It tells us that they didn't plan this that well, they didn't have enough people to help and ensure that this was going to be done safely without causing harm. So there's a number of questions,' he told the Daily Mail.
