Federal investigators and local authorities in southern Arizona have released newly recovered surveillance images and video showing an armed, masked figure apparently tampering with a doorbell camera at the home of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie, as the search for the missing woman entered a second week and a ransom deadline passed without any confirmed contact from alleged kidnappers.
The material, which includes still images and clips taken from home security systems, was issued after investigators said they were able to retrieve data that had initially been inaccessible. Officials said they had been working with private-sector partners to recover footage that may have been lost or corrupted, and that the newly released images show an individual appearing to have interfered with a camera at the front door on the morning of the disappearance.
In the footage described by authorities, a figure wearing gloves and a face covering is seen near the entrance, carrying what appears to be a backpack and holding what investigators believe is a weapon. The individual is shown manipulating the doorbell camera, then using foliage in an apparent attempt to conceal it before removing it.
A former CIA officer and FBI special agent, Tracy Walder, told Page Six that the suspect’s gait could be a point of identification for investigators, even if the walk itself is not “overly distinctive,” and said she was surprised the person’s eyes were exposed despite the mask. Walder suggested those details could still be useful to investigators as they build a physical profile based on what is visible, including footwear and other identifying characteristics.
The release came as investigators continued to face questions about what happened inside and outside the Tucson-area home where Nancy Guthrie lived. According to reporting citing law enforcement timelines, investigators have said the doorbell camera disconnected during the early hours of 1 February, and that signs of violence were found at the scene, including blood outside the residence that authorities have said was hers.
Authorities have said they are treating the case as a kidnapping and have been working to establish a clear timeline of when Guthrie was taken. The Los Angeles Times, citing law enforcement detail and sources familiar with the case, reported that the investigation includes analysis of technology-related data, including the security system outages and other digital records around the time she disappeared.
A ransom demand, sent to news organisations, sought $6 million in bitcoin and set a deadline that passed on Monday evening without any publicly confirmed proof-of-life. In a statement quoted by multiple outlets, the FBI said it was “not aware of any continued communication” between the Guthrie family and the suspected kidnappers following the deadline, and that investigators had not identified a suspect or person of interest at that stage.
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have made repeated public appeals for information, urging anyone who recognises the person in the newly released images to contact law enforcement. In one plea reported by the Los Angeles Times, Savannah Guthrie said, “We are in an hour of desperation,” and asked the public to report anything that seemed strange or out of place, even from outside Arizona.
Investigators have stressed that public assistance could be crucial in identifying the masked person. In a message quoted by The Guardian, officials said they were operating a 24-hour command post with crisis management experts, analysts and investigative teams, while urging anyone with information to contact the FBI tip line.
The newly recovered footage has also fuelled renewed scrutiny of the suspect’s actions at the doorbell camera. A private investigator, Andy Kay of Kay & Associates, told Page Six that removing the doorbell camera could have inadvertently helped preserve footage, depending on how the device’s cloud storage and overwriting functions work when a camera is disconnected. Kay characterised the move as a mistake consistent with an inexperienced offender.
Law enforcement activity intensified after the images were released. A law enforcement official briefed on the case told Reuters that developments in the investigation included a detention, while The Guardian reported that deputies in Pima County “detained a subject during a traffic stop” and that the person was being questioned in connection with the investigation. Authorities did not publicly provide further identifying details in that report, and it was not immediately clear whether the detained individual was a suspect or a person of interest.
The FBI director, Kash Patel, also referenced the newly obtained images in public posts cited by The Guardian, describing them as previously inaccessible and recovered from “residual data located in back-end systems,” language that echoed the broader explanation from investigators about working with private-sector partners to recover data.
Investigators have been careful to avoid publicly naming a suspect, and officials have not confirmed whether any ransom payment was made. The Los Angeles Times reported that investigators were consulting experts, including those familiar with artificial intelligence, to assess ransom communications and how such messages may have been generated or transmitted, as concerns have grown that modern tools could complicate traditional linguistic or forensic analysis of ransom notes.
The case has drawn intense public attention partly because Savannah Guthrie is one of the most recognisable faces on American morning television, but investigators have continued to frame the matter as a violent crime investigation requiring methodical evidence collection and corroboration. Reuters reported that officials had released the images in the hope that someone in the public will recognise a detail, such as clothing, movement, or equipment, that could point to a specific individual.
Authorities have not released information about a motive beyond what was contained in the ransom demand, and they have not said whether they believe the kidnapping was carried out by a lone offender or involved others. Walder, in her comments to Page Six, suggested the presence of a backpack and a weapon pointed away from a burglary and toward a targeted abduction, while also cautioning that “planned” does not necessarily mean professionally executed.
As the search continued, officials reiterated that the investigation remained active and that anyone with relevant information should come forward. For the family, the public pleas have carried an urgent message: that the person shown in the images is likely known to someone, and that recognition could be the fastest path to locating Nancy Guthrie and determining what happened in the hours surrounding her disappearance.
