TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A masked person with a handgun holster was caught on camera outside Nancy Guthrie’s front door the night she disappeared, images released Tuesday by the FBI show, offering the first major break in a case that has gripped the nation for more than a week.
The person wearing a backpack and a ski mask can be seen in one of the videos tilting their head down and away from a doorbell camera while nearing an archway at the home of the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie.
The footage shows the person holding a flashlight in their mouth and trying to cover the camera with a gloved hand and part of a plant ripped from her yard.
The videos — less than a combined minute in length — gave investigators and the public their first glimpse of who was outside Nancy Guthrie’s home just outside Tucson, but the images did not show what happened to her or help determine whether the 84-year-old is still alive.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the “armed individual” appeared to “have tampered with the camera.” The videos were pulled from data on “back-end systems” after investigators spent days trying to find lost, corrupted or inaccessible images, Patel said.
“This will get the phone ringing for lots of potential leads,” said former FBI agent Katherine Schweit. “Even when you have a person who appears to be completely covered, they’re really not. You can see their girth, the shape of their face, potentially their eyes or mouth. You can see a gait that people around that person may recognize immediately.”
Investigators have said for more than a week that they believe Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will. She was last seen at home Jan. 31 and reported missing the next day. DNA tests showed blood on her porch was hers, authorities said.
She has high blood pressure and issues with mobility and her heart, and she needs daily medication, officials have said.
Authorities initially could not pull images from camera
Until now, authorities have released few details, leaving it unclear if ransom notes demanding money with deadlines already passed were authentic, and whether the Guthrie family has had any contact with the abductors.
Savannah Guthrie posted the new surveillance images on social media Tuesday, saying the family believes she is still alive and offering phone numbers for the FBI and county sheriff. Within minutes, the post had thousands of comments.
Investigators had hoped cameras would turn up evidence right away about how Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her home in an secluded neighborhood. But the doorbell camera was disconnected early on Feb. 1, and while software recorded movement at the home minutes later, she did not have an active subscription, so none of the footage could be recovered, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.
Savannah Guthrie expressed desperation a day ago
Heartbreaking messages by Savannah Guthrie and her family shifted from hopeful to bleak as they pleaded with the apparent kidnappers. In a video just ahead of a purported ransom deadline Monday, Savannah Guthrie appeared alone and spoke directly to the public, not the abductor.
“We are at an hour of desperation,” she said Monday. “We need your help.”
Much of the nation is closely following the case involving the longtime anchor of NBC’s morning show.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump watched the new surveillance footage and was in “pure disgust,” encouraging anyone with information to call the FBI.
The FBI this week began posting digital billboards about the case in major cities from Texas to California.
Connor Hagan, a spokesperson for the FBI, said Monday that the agency was not aware of ongoing communication between Guthrie’s family and the suspected kidnappers. Authorities also had not identified any suspects, he said.
Videos from Guthrie family appealed directly to abductors
Three days after the search began, Savannah Guthrie and her two siblings sent their first public appeal to the kidnappers, telling them “we want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen.”
In the recorded video, Guthrie said her family was aware of media reports about a ransom letter, but they first wanted proof their mother was alive. “Please reach out to us,” they said.
The next day, Savannah Guthrie’s brother again told the kidnappers to reach out “so we can move forward.”
“Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly,” Camron Guthrie said.
Then over the past weekend, the family posted another video — one that was more cryptic and generated even more speculation about Nancy Guthrie’s fate.
“We received your message, and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her,” said Savannah Guthrie, flanked by her siblings. “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”
Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press reporters Darlene Superville in Washington and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.
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