Who is Dominic Lee Evans? Nancy Guthrie's son-in-law's bandmate sparks social media buzz as FBI releases CCTV footage

The first surveillance footage of the disappearance of ‘Today’ show host Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy Guthrie, was released by US authorities on Tuesday, with images showing a masked individual on the porch of the octogenarian's Arizona home on the night she vanished, 31 January.

The footage was released by the FBI and shared by Director Kash Patel. He said, "Over the last eight days, the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department have been working closely with our private sector partners to continue to recover any images or video footage from Nancy Guthrie’s home that may have been lost, corrupted, or inaccessible due to a variety of factors - including the removal of recording devices. The video was recovered from residual data located in backend systems."

What does footage show?

Images from the surveillance footage show an individual wearing what appears to be a ski mask, carrying a backpack and what looks like a gun holster.

Videos, meanwhile, show the individual approaching Guthrie's front door before trying to cover the doorbell camera with their hand and a piece of vegetation from the yard.

While authorities are yet to announce details about the individual in question or a potential suspect, social media has been abuzz with theories about the identity of the person seen in the footage.

The individual in the footage?

In particular, unsubstantiated online posts have claimed that the individual seen could be Dominic Aaron Lee Evans, reportedly a friend of Nancy Guthrie's son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, both of whom are part of the band, Early Black.

One X account, Atom Report, claimed to have analyzed security footage, saying that the individual's athletic build and visible facial hair (a dark moustache and a goatee) aligned with Evans' "known profile".

Some social media users also circulated alleged court records claiming Evans had a criminal history, including a past burglary / robbery / theft / embezzlement charge in Pima County, Arizona.

Despite the report, authorities have not drawn any link between the two and law enforcement has reiterated that they have not identified any suspect or person of interest in the case.

LiveMint could not independently verify the claims.

Who is Dominic Evans?

According to Parade, Nancy Guthrie's son-in-law, Cioni, played bass and was part of the 2007-formed band Early Black, where Evans played drums. The rock/post-punk band also had Walter I Gonçalves, Jr. on guitar and vocals.

The trio, as per the band's ReverbNation page, met through a series of newspaper ads.

As for the band's music, the page says, "Quickly, the newly formed band began work on a number of pieces Gonçalves started composing before their meeting. The songs were grungier compared to the band’s repertory in its debut, Life:Love :: Love:Murder."

Early Black began playing shows locally in Tucson, Arizona and at times in Phoenix and Flagstaff, mostly with local acts. They also played with national acts The Prids, Liars and A Place to Bury Strangers.

The band recorded its debut album in Arizona, with Tucson music engineer Nathan Sabatino.

Beyond this, not much is known about Evans.

What do experts say?

Experts interviewed by CNN have pointed out several things about the individual in the footage.

Noting that the gun holster's placement, near the groin, indicated a lack of training, former FBI Deputy Director and CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst Andrew McCabe said, “In my opinion, this is not someone, first of all, who was ever trained to carry a gun.”

He added, “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 center of his body, hanging off of his belt there. It’s not very tactically sound for a lot of reasons."

Another retired FBI agent, Steve Moore, told the news outlet, It’s kind of ridiculous. He’s got a small, semiautomatic pistol meant for concealment that he could have put in his pocket, but instead he’s holstering it in a holster made for a large-frame revolver. They don’t even match.”

Experts also said that the individual's gait could offer more clues about a suspect.

Bryanna Fox, a former FBI agent, said the individual “almost saunters up like that’s his house", almost indicating “a lack of concern that he’s going to be caught."

“He still has this kind of air of bravado, that he’s going to be able to get away with this," she told CNN.