Overview
Pima County law enforcement officials have identified newly recovered video footage of a masked prowler disturbing a home doorbell camera as the most significant piece of evidence so far in the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, the mother of U.S. television journalist Savannah Guthrie. The sheriff leading the investigation said the individual captured in the footage is the primary person investigators are seeking.
Video emerges as focal point
Investigators released the footage after reassembling digital data that had not been archived, showing a man wearing a ski mask, gloves and a backpack tampering with the Google Nest doorbell outside Nancy Guthrie’s residence shortly before she vanished. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told reporters that the video is the strongest evidence in the case and that identifying the person in the footage is the top priority.
"That individual is who we’re looking for," the sheriff said, noting that additional evidence might reveal whether others were involved. He added: "Somebody out there knows who this is."
Investigative measures and public response
The sheriff said retrieving and reconstructing the footage from discarded digital data took days, and that the release of the video prompted nearly 5,000 tip calls. He also said that, working together, the sheriff’s office and the FBI had by that point handled about 30,000 calls related to the investigation.
Law enforcement officials said they are gathering a wide range of video sources for analysis, including traffic cameras, license-plate readers and neighborhood surveillance systems, and are constantly reviewing material as it arrives. Experts involved in the case have indicated investigators are likely to pursue facial-recognition analysis on the footage to generate a composite image that could be checked against national databases of Real ID drivers, though the sheriff emphasized the process is ongoing and referenced the time-consuming nature of handling large volumes of digital evidence.
Timeline and forensic findings
Authorities say Nancy Guthrie was last observed on January 31 after family members dropped her off at her residence following an evening meal. Relatives reported her missing the next day. The sheriff has stated that the elderly woman had extremely limited mobility and could not have wandered far unassisted, leading investigators to treat the disappearance as an abduction.
Traces of blood discovered on the front porch were tested and confirmed through DNA analysis to have come from Nancy Guthrie, officials said. Law enforcement and family members describe her as frail and dependent on daily medication to survive.
Ransom notes and family appeals
At least two purported ransom notes have been circulated since the disappearance; both were first delivered to news organizations and contained deadlines that have now passed. Savannah Guthrie, a 54-year-old co-anchor on a national morning news program, has posted several video appeals alongside her brother and sister. In those messages the siblings implore the captors to return their mother and urge the public to come forward with information. They have also expressed a willingness to meet ransom demands.
Official stance and search effort
Sheriff Nanos confirmed to reporters that investigators have not received any proof of life since the abduction, but he was quick to point out there has also been no proof of death. He said his working assumption remains that Nancy Guthrie is alive.
"Hope is sometimes all we have, it really is," the sheriff said, describing the scale of the response: a coordinated force of roughly 400 officers from federal, state and local agencies, and a community of about one million people invested in the search. "Sometimes all we have to go on is hope. I’m not going to kill that," he added.
Reward and next steps
The FBI announced it has doubled its reward for information that leads to Nancy Guthrie’s location, or to the arrest and conviction of a suspect in her abduction, raising the amount to $100,000. Investigators continue to collect and analyze video and forensic evidence, follow up on tips, and seek to identify the person seen in the doorbell footage.
Authorities emphasize the ongoing, methodical nature of the inquiry as they process large volumes of digital material and field public leads. Until investigators can positively identify and locate the person shown in the video or uncover additional definitive evidence, the case remains in active search mode.