New images and videos released Tuesday (10 February) by the FBI show a masked, armed individual at the Tucson home of Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today anchor Savannah Guthrie. The footage, captured on a Google Nest camera, reveals the suspect tampering with the device before ultimately disconnecting and taking it.
Footage recovered despite lack of subscription
Private investigator Andy Kay explained to Page Six how authorities were able to recover footage.
“The cameras will record to the servers as long as they have internet. According to Nest, without a subscription, usually they are quickly overwritten by next images. But if the camera is disconnected, there should be nothing to overwrite on the server,” Kay told Page Six.
He added that because this was the last image captured before the suspect disconnected the camera, it remained on the server and was recoverable.
“Essentially, if someone does not have a subscription to the service, it’s almost like a livestream being sent to the server: new images override previous images. But this last image was preserved,” Kay said.
Suspect behaviour captured on camera
The newly released footage shows a masked, armed individual carrying a black Ozark Trailer backpack approaching Guthrie’s front door and fidgeting with the camera. The person then picked up foliage and attempted to cover the lens.
Savannah Guthrie, 54, shared a chilling image on Instagram, appealing to the public: “Someone out there recognizes this person. We believe she is still out there. Bring her home. We believe she is still alive.”
Timeline of disappearance
On the evening of 31 January, Nancy Guthrie, 84, who lives alone, took an Uber to her sister Annie’s house for dinner. Annie’s husband, Tommaso Cioni, drove her back home later that night. She was reported missing the next day after failing to attend a church service.
Investigators believe Nancy was kidnapped in her sleep and “harmed” during the abduction, as a trail of her blood was found outside her front door. She requires daily medication, which was left behind.
