FBI releases first images of potential suspect in Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case
Investigators have released surveillance footage and images of an 'armed' potential suspect amid the ongoing investigation into the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie.
More than a week after the 84-year-old mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie went missing, the FBI has now released photos and video of a masked individual outside of her home.
The chilling images appear to have been taken from footage obtained via a Google Nest doorbell camera, which was erected in the porch of Nancy's home in Tucson, Arizona.
FBI director Kash Patel shared the snaps in a post on X on Tuesday (10 February) evening - as did Samantha in a post on Instagram, alongside the caption: "Someone out there recognises this person.
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"We believe she is still alive. Bring her home."
Take a look at the footage here:
According to the Pima County Sheriff's Department, Nancy was abducted from her home in the middle of the night on 1 February.
A ransom note left at the scene said the 84-year-old's release depended on a Bitcoin exchange worth $6 million - but according to a crypto expert, the kidnapper 'showed his Achilles' heel by doing this.
The new images shared by law enforcement appear to show a man wearing gloves, a mask and a backpack while seemingly trying to 'tamper' with the doorbell camera on the morning of Nancy's disappearance.
In a post explaining the latest development in the case, Patel explained that cops have been 'closely with our private sector partners' to recover images and video that may have been recorded on devices outside of Nancy's home.
He noted that this content 'may have been lost, corrupted, or inaccessible due to a variety of factors - including the removal of recording devices'.
"The video was recovered from residual data located in backend systems," Patel explained in the post.
"Working with our partners - 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. Anyone with information, please contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit http://tips.fbi.gov."
The Pima County Sheriff's Department also shared an identical statement on social media in regards to the update.
Sheriff Chris Nanos previously said that Nancy's doorbell camera was disconnected in the early hours of the morning and that DNA tests showed blood on her front porch, which was a match to her.
Nanos explained that the footage from the device could not be recovered as the mother-of-three did not have an active subscription - although software data recorded movement at the home minutes after the camera went offline.
In a video released on Monday (9 February), just hours before a second ransom deadline apparently set by her mum’s abductors expired, Savannah Guthrie said the family was 'at an hour of desperation'.
She did not mention the race against the clock in the video, but declared that her family in Arizona continues to believe her mother is out there and hearing everyone’s prayers.
“She was taken and we don’t know where, and we need your help,” Guthrie said in the video posted on Instagram, urging people nationwide to be on the lookout.
“No matter where you are, even if you’re far from Tucson, if you see anything, if you hear anything.”
The FBI has been calling on the public to aid its investigation over the last few days, launching appeals that have been plastered on digital billboards up in several major cities in Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico.
There is also a $50,000 (£36,500) reward for information leading to Nancy's safe return.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said on Monday that law enforcement tip lines have received thousands of calls so far.
Over the weekend, authorities said they had still not 'identified any suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles connected to this case'.
However, it seems this may have now changed.
Olivia Burke