Investigators released surveillance photos and a video showing a potential suspect in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping investigation Tuesday, marking a major update in the unusual case.
The images were circulated less than a day after a ransom deadline to pay Guthrieβs abductors $6 million in bitcoin passed with no sign of the 84-year-old.
The FBI said Monday that it had not identified any suspects in the bizarre kidnapping case, which began 10 days ago when Guthrieβs family reported her missing after she did not show up at a friendβs house and wasnβt at her Tucson home. There has been no evidence Guthrie is taking the medication she needs or proof from kidnappers that sheβs still alive.
There has been no indication any ransom was paid and the FBI also said it is not aware of any communication between the abductors and the Guthrie family.
The images of a masked individual appears to have been recovered off a Nest camera located at the front door of Guthrieβs home. Law enforcement has been working for days to recover any images or video footage that may have been βlost, corrupted, or inaccessible due to a variety of factors β including the removal of recording devices,β said FBI Director Kash Patel.
Patel said in a post on X that the video was recovered from βresidual data located in backend systems.β
A law enforcement source told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday that officials spent a considerable amount of time working to retrieve data from the Nest camera. The source spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the case.
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The images, recorded at 1:47 a.m. on Feb. 1, show an individual, wearing a dark balaclava, gloves and a backpack, appearing to tamper with the camera at Guthrieβs front door the morning of her disappearance. What appears to be a gun is holstered around the personβs waist, positioned at the front of their body and easily visible.
Video footage shows the person approaching the front door, noticing the camera and trying to cover the lens with their gloved hand. The person then looks around the patio and yard area apparently for something to obstruct the camera. At one point, the individual attempts to block the camera using greenery found in the yard.
The camera was missing when investigators arrived at the home later that day.
The surveillance footage marks the first major development released to the public in the case that has baffled law enforcement experts for more than a week.
Pleas from the family for Guthrieβs return have become increasingly urgent as time has passed.
βWe believe our mom is still out there. We need your help,β said Nancyβs daughter, βTodayβ show anchor Savannah Guthrie, in a video on Instagram on Monday. βSo Iβm coming on just to ask you, not just for your prayers but no matter where you are β even if youβre far from Tucson β if you see anything, if you hear anything, if thereβs anything at all that seems strange to you, that you report to law enforcement. We are in an hour of desperation.β
On Saturday, Savannah Guthrie addressed the kidnappers directly in a cryptic video saying that her family would pay for Nancyβs return.
βWe received your message, and we understand,β Guthrie said in the video, sitting beside her brother and sister. βWe beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.β
