The FBI has obtained important new stills from security cameras at the Arizona residence where Nancy Guthrie, 84, the mother of Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie, was abducted more than six weeks ago — yet the discoveries have only deepened the questions about the grandmother’s fate.
People familiar with the probe told ABC News on Friday, March 13, that investigators recovered several thumbnail images taken by three motion-activated cameras around Nancy’s Tucson property. The devices covered her pool, backyard, and side yard in the Catalina Foothills area where she had lived for many years.
The images recovered show multiple people in Nancy’s backyard and side yards in the days and weeks before she disappeared. Officers were also seen near the pool after the abduction. Troublingly, however, the cameras recorded nothing on the night Nancy went missing, despite capturing activity in the days before and after the incident.
Investigators could not retrieve full video footage from the systems — only thumbnail images automatically generated when motion was detected. According to sources, the images contained no obvious suspicious activity, leaving investigators without the critical lead they need.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Friday that it “continues to analyze various forms of evidence in the Nancy Guthrie case, including material from laboratories as well as images and videos captured by cameras.”
Nancy was last seen at her home on the evening of Jan. 31 after dining with her daughter Annie. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department launched an official search on Feb. 1 when she failed to arrive at a friend’s house to watch a live-streamed church service. Her pacemaker stopped syncing with her Apple devices at 2:28 a.m. — a chilling data point that might indicate when she was taken.
The FBI previously released photos and video of an unknown armed individual at Nancy’s front door the morning she vanished. The masked man appeared to be interfering with a Nest camera at the doorway. Sources say the person may have been at the front entrance prior to Feb. 1 as well, suggesting the property could have been under surveillance before the abduction.
Authorities have described the suspect as a male roughly 5 feet, 9 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches tall with an average build. He carried a black 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack” backpack — a bag sold exclusively at Walmart, though investigators now suspect it may have been bought secondhand.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos was asked if the suspect might strike again in an NBC News interview. “Well, absolutely, absolutely,” he said. “Criminal minds are criminal minds.”
Nanos has repeatedly said he believes Nancy was specifically targeted but has not disclosed a motive. Federal agents are also probing whether internet outages in Nancy’s neighborhood on the night she disappeared were related to the abduction. Neighbors reported that their security camera footage from that night appeared as “missing” or “not available” — a pattern that could indicate deliberate planning.
Despite the newly recovered images and earlier video, no suspects have been identified. DNA found in the house — which does not match Nancy or anyone close to her — is being analyzed, and investigators are pursuing genetic genealogy to try to identify the perpetrator.
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings, Annie and Camron, have recorded emotional video pleas to anyone who might have taken their mother in hopes of securing her safe return. The “Today” co-anchor announced a $1 million reward for information leading to Nancy’s recovery, bringing the total reward from the family and law enforcement to $1.2 million.
“We still believe in a miracle,” Savannah said when revealing the reward. “We also know that she may be lost. She may already be gone.”
Additional cameras had been placed over the driveway and at the front door, where the masked suspect was earlier captured on film. Her front doorbell camera is now missing, and other security devices were seized by the FBI. Investigators had hoped the thumbnail images from several cameras would clarify activity around the property — but the key hours of the abduction remain blank.
Bloodstains on Nancy’s front porch were confirmed to be hers. Officials continue to worry about her well-being because she needs daily medication.
The probe is ongoing as authorities review all available evidence. Anyone with information about Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Pima County Sheriff’s Office at (520) 351-4900.
Now in its seventh week, the investigation finds the Guthrie family hoping for a miracle while bracing for the worst. Forty-four days have passed since Nancy was taken from her home, and both her family and investigators say time is running out.
