Fresh surveillance footage from a Ring doorbell camera has intensified the nationwide search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC’s Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, now entering its second week. The new video, recorded about five miles from Nancy’s Catalina Foothills home in Tucson, Arizona, shows a man carrying and wearing backpacks strikingly similar to the black Ozark Trail Hiker Pack identified by the FBI as key evidence from the original Nest camera tampering incident.
Captured at approximately 1:52 a.m. on February 1 — the morning Nancy vanished — the footage depicts the individual attempting to open or climb a locked gate. This timestamp aligns eerily with critical moments at Nancy’s residence: her Nest doorbell camera disconnected at 1:47 a.m., and motion was detected again around 2:12 a.m. Investigators are scrutinizing whether this person could be the same masked figure who appeared on Nancy’s porch, deliberately obstructed the camera lens first with a gloved hand and then by pulling vegetation from the yard, before disappearing into the night.
The FBI’s Phoenix Field Office, collaborating with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, has released a detailed suspect description derived from forensic analysis of the Nest footage: a male roughly 5’9″ to 5’10” tall, average build, wearing the specific black 25-liter (or 24-liter in some reports) Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack. The backpack’s distinctive design has become a focal point, with authorities urging the public to report any sightings or related information.
Search operations have expanded aggressively across the desert terrain surrounding Nancy’s home and nearby neighborhoods. Agents in protective gear have combed rocky areas, cacti, and brush, recovering several items including pairs of black gloves submitted for DNA and forensic examination. While it’s uncertain if these gloves link directly to the suspect, they represent crucial physical evidence being processed. Heavy police presence continues, with door-to-door canvassing and requests for additional surveillance footage from specific windows: January 11 (9 p.m. to midnight) and the early hours of January 31 into February 1.
The original Nest video, recovered by the FBI from residual backend data despite initial connectivity issues, remains pivotal. It captures the armed intruder — holstered handgun visible — approaching the door, attempting to block the lens, and then improvising cover with yard plants. Blood discovered on the porch matched Nancy’s DNA via testing, heightening fears given her reliance on daily heart medications, a pacemaker, and mobility challenges. Without these, her survival window narrows dramatically.
The investigation has generated an overwhelming response: thousands of tips poured in, including over 4,000 calls in one 24-hour surge after the initial footage release. Ring’s Neighbors app facilitated targeted requests to local users for relevant clips, expanding the evidence pool. Authorities have emphasized the value of even seemingly minor details, such as unusual vehicles or pedestrians in the weeks prior.
Ransom communications have added layers of complexity and anguish. The family has publicly expressed readiness to pay, though the legitimacy of notes — including demands for bitcoin payments around $67,000 — remains unverified. Multiple messages reportedly surfaced, some with ominous tones, but no confirmed direct contact or proof-of-life has been disclosed. A man briefly detained near the U.S.-Mexico border was released after questioning, with no charges filed.
Tensions between agencies surfaced in reports that the Pima County Sheriff initially resisted handing certain evidence, like gloves and DNA samples, to the FBI’s Quantico lab, opting instead for a private facility. Despite jurisdictional frictions, collaboration persists, with the FBI boosting its reward to $100,000 for actionable information leading to Nancy’s recovery or arrests.
Experts analyzing the footage have pointed to potential amateur errors by the perpetrator: incomplete camera disabling, visible holster positioning, and reliance on improvised concealment rather than professional tools. These observations fuel speculation that the abduction may involve someone less experienced, though the premeditated elements — timing, firearm, and targeting security systems — suggest planning.
Savannah Guthrie, alongside siblings, continues emotional appeals on social media, sharing old family videos and pleading for tips. “We believe she is still alive. Bring her home,” she posted, including tip lines for the FBI and sheriff’s office. The case’s high visibility, tied to Savannah’s prominence, has kept national attention fixed, with coverage from major outlets amplifying calls for information.
As searches push into rugged desert expanses and forensic teams process every lead, the new Ring footage stands as a tantalizing potential link. Did this man drive the short distance, change appearance, and execute the abduction? Or is he a peripheral figure? Every second counts for Nancy, a vulnerable senior whose life hangs in the balance. Authorities remain determined, processing tips around the clock and vowing no stone unturned in the hunt to reunite a family shattered by sudden, terrifying loss.
