{"id":16592,"date":"2026-02-13T11:44:54","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T22:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/?p=16592"},"modified":"2026-02-13T11:44:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T22:44:54","slug":"chilling-images-are-the-biggest-break-so-far-in-the-nancy-guthrie-case-heres-what-stands-out-to-law-enforcement-experts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/?p=16592","title":{"rendered":"Chilling images are the biggest break so far in the Nancy Guthrie case: Here&#8217;s what stands out to law enforcement experts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Video and images showing an armed, masked individual outside the Tucson, Arizona, home of Nancy Guthrie have given new life to the search for the 84-year-old &#8211; and may offer investigators important clues about the subject&#8217;s identity.<\/p>\n<p>The imagery released by the FBI on Tuesday (local time) is the biggest break so far in the case of the missing mother of &#8220;Today&#8221; show anchor Savannah Guthrie. They were captured by Guthrie&#8217;s Nest-made doorbell camera and recovered thanks to technical expertise provided by Google, a person familiar with the investigation told CNN&#8217;s Brian Stelter.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators&#8217; goal in sharing the imagery, experts say, is to engage the public in hopes someone will recognise the individual and provide a crucial tip that could solve the mystery of the suspected abduction of Guthrie in the early morning hours of 1 February.<\/p>\n<p>The Pima County Sheriff&#8217;s Department said it received more than 4000 tips in the 24 hours since the surveillance photos and videos were released to the public.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, as the search for Guthrie entered its 12th day, neighbours were asked to review their security footage from two days in January as investigators worked to piece together a potential &#8220;new timeline&#8221; in the case, according to a post shared on the Neighbour App by Ring.<\/p>\n<div class=\"photo-captioned photo-captioned-full photo-cntr eight_col \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.rnztools.nz\/rnz\/image\/upload\/s--d06aFx9h--\/ar_16:10,c_fill,f_auto,g_auto,q_auto,w_1050\/v1770868407\/4JTBEJ1_cnn_L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2ltYWdlL2luc3RhbmNlcy9jbWxiNGRienowMDVlM2I2cGtiNXY2a3dl_L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2FydGljbGUvaW5zdGFuY2VzL2NtbGIyd3JlZTAwMXIyNnFmMXcybzEzNTY_JPG?_a=BACCd2AD\" alt=\"Savannah Guthrie with her mother Nancy on the set of the Today show.\" width=\"1050\" height=\"700\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"photo-captioned__information\"><span class=\"caption\">Savannah Guthrie with her mother Nancy on the set of the Today Show.\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photo:\u00a0Nathan Congleton\/NBC\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Here&#8217;s what stands out to law enforcement experts about the footage and images of the armed, masked individual:<\/p>\n<h3>The holster<\/h3>\n<p>The subject seen in the images is armed, carrying what appears to be a pistol in a holster at the waist. But some experts said the holster and its placement at the individual&#8217;s groin area suggest this person lacks proficiency with firearms.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In my opinion, this is not someone, first of all, who was ever trained to carry a gun,&#8221; said CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst Andrew McCabe, former deputy director of the FBI.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;No person with law enforcement or military training would ever carry a firearm in a holster like that, right where that is at almost the centre of his body, hanging off of his belt there,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s not very tactically sound for a lot of reasons.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Steve Moore, a retired FBI supervisory special agent, similarly said the holster and gun did not appear to be appropriately paired.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s kind of ridiculous,&#8221; Moore said. &#8220;He&#8217;s got a small, semiautomatic pistol meant for concealment that he could have put in his pocket, but instead he&#8217;s holstering it in a holster made for a large-frame revolver. They don&#8217;t even match.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"photo-captioned photo-captioned-full photo-cntr eight_col \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.rnztools.nz\/rnz\/image\/upload\/s--4S9WA7M5--\/ar_16:10,c_fill,f_auto,g_auto,q_auto,w_1050\/v1770919384\/4JTAB6Y_cnn_L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2ltYWdlL2luc3RhbmNlcy9jbWxoN25rem0wMDBiM2I2cTQydjFsZzl0_L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2FydGljbGUvaW5zdGFuY2VzL2NtbGg3ZXd2cTAwMXIyN3FkOTA0ZWQ3Nm0_JPG?_a=BACCd2AD\" alt=\"New images showing an armed, masked individual outside the Tucson, Arizona, home of Nancy Guthrie have given new life to the search for the 84-year-old.\" width=\"1050\" height=\"590\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"photo-captioned__information\"><span class=\"caption\">New images showing an armed, masked individual outside the Tucson, Arizona, home of Nancy Guthrie have given new life to the search for the 84-year-old.\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photo:\u00a0Amy O&#8217;Kruk, CNN via CNN Newsource<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>The clothing<\/h3>\n<p>The images also show the individual covered head to toe, wearing a mask, gloves, a jacket and long pants in addition to the holster and backpack.<\/p>\n<p>CNN senior correspondent Josh Campbell, a former FBI agent, said the individual&#8217;s garb &#8220;could have been a purposeful attempt to try to prevent leaving behind any DNA at the scene, from skin or hair fibres, as well as fingerprints.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Each of the subject&#8217;s items will be scrutinised, Campbell said, in hopes of determining its brand and thus where the item might be sold.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In past cases,&#8221; he said, &#8220;authorities have canvassed places like clothing and hardware stores in order to determine if employees may have recognised a possible subject (from) when the items were purchased.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The backpack appears to be an Ozark Trail Hiker Pack, part of Walmart&#8217;s private-label outdoor brand, according to a CNN analysis.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators also recovered a black glove about a mile and a half from Guthrie&#8217;s home, according to the New York Post. It is not clear whether authorities believe it to be the same glove worn by the person in the doorbell camera footage.<\/p>\n<p>If it is the same glove, though, investigators will try to recover DNA, fiber, hair and traces of a plant that was used to cover up the camera, CNN&#8217;s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"photo-captioned photo-captioned-full photo-cntr eight_col \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.rnztools.nz\/rnz\/image\/upload\/s--a9f1LTDk--\/ar_16:10,c_fill,f_auto,g_auto,q_auto,w_1050\/v1770868241\/4JTBENL_cnn_L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2ltYWdlL2luc3RhbmNlcy9jbWxoYmRqcHUwMDAyMzU2cDVvcTB2M2Ey_L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2FydGljbGUvaW5zdGFuY2VzL2NtbGhiY3poazAwMXgyN25xZjE5aThuMjg_JPG?_a=BACCd2AD\" alt=\"The FBI has released new images from a camera at Nancy Guthrie\u2019s house, showing a person who appears to be wearing a mask.\" width=\"1050\" height=\"590\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"photo-captioned__information\"><span class=\"caption\">The FBI has released new images from a camera at Nancy Guthrie&#8217;s house, showing a person who appears to be wearing a mask.\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photo:\u00a0FBI<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>The gait<\/h3>\n<p>The video specifically offers a key insight that the still images can&#8217;t: How the individual moves.<\/p>\n<p>The footage shows the subject walking around outside as they approach Guthrie&#8217;s home and try to obstruct the camera. While the movement may not be an obvious cue to strangers, experts say it could be recognisable to someone who knows the person.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We recognise people more by the way that they move than by visual cues, often,&#8221; said Josh Schirard, a former SWAT commander. &#8220;Understanding how they&#8217;re moving, seeing them walk back and forth, is definitely a great way to recognise someone that you might know,&#8221; even when other distinctive features may be obscured.<\/p>\n<p>Other experts said the subject&#8217;s movement could illustrate a lack of urgency. McCabe said the individual&#8217;s approach was &#8220;not particularly furtive or concerned.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Bryanna Fox, a former FBI agent, similarly said the individual &#8220;almost saunters up like that&#8217;s his house.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>There is &#8220;a lack of concern that he&#8217;s going to be caught,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He still has this kind of air of bravado, that he&#8217;s going to be able to get away with this.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>Attempts to obstruct the camera<\/h3>\n<p>The video released by the FBI is brief and doesn&#8217;t show much in the way of action. But it does capture the subject&#8217;s apparent attempts to cover the camera outside Guthrie&#8217;s home.<\/p>\n<p>The person appears to first try obstructing the lens with their gloved hand. Then, the individual steps back, seemingly searching the ground. The person ultimately picks up a piece of shrubbery from the yard, then uses the foliage to try to cover the camera.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This does raise questions about his sophistication and any pre-planning,&#8221; said Campbell, the CNN correspondent. &#8220;If he had actually conducted surveillance on the home and saw a camera, he would have brought with him means of obstructing it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Asked about the attempt to cover the camera with shrubbery, Moore said it suggested the purported abduction of Nancy Guthrie was &#8220;highly premeditated and very poorly planned,&#8221; adding he believes &#8220;this is the first time he&#8217;s ever done something like this.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What this strikes me as is somebody who doesn&#8217;t know what he doesn&#8217;t know,&#8221; Moore said.<\/p>\n<p>Source: CNN &amp; RNZ<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Video and images showing an armed, masked individual outside the Tucson, Arizona, home of Nancy Guthrie have given new life to the search for the 84-year-old &#8211; and may offer investigators important clues about the subject&#8217;s identity. The imagery released by the FBI on Tuesday (local time) is the biggest break so far in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":16593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[177],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16592"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16594,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16592\/revisions\/16594"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}