Authorities investigating the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie‘s missing mother, Nancy, have reportedly detained a man for questioning—hours after releasing video footage of a masked, armed intruder tampering with a security camera outside of the 84-year-old’s Arizona home.
According to multiple news outlets, including NBC News and CNN, the FBI, in collaboration with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, have “detained a person for questioning only” in their ongoing investigation into Nancy’s alleged abduction.
Multiple law enforcement sources noted to the outlets that it is unclear whether the man in question is suspected to be the person captured in the video footage and images that were released by authorities earlier in the evening.
“The FBI did not comment. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said it is not releasing any information at this time,” NBC News reported.
According to CNN, law enforcement sources further stressed that the person in question, who was located south of Tucson, has not been charged.
The update comes just hours after the footage of the first suspect in Nancy’s disappearance was released to the public, having being retrieved from a missing security camera that had been positioned outside the 84-year-old’s Arizona home.
Footage, along with four screenshots, taken from a Nest camera that was removed from Nancy’s doorway were released to the public Tuesday afternoon, more than a week after the mother of three was abducted from the property.
Two videos, taken back to back, show an armed person wearing a knitted balaclava or ski mask, a backpack, and large leather gloves approaching the front door of Nancy’s home, before raising a fist to the camera in an apparent attempt to block the lens.
The person is seen wearing what appears to be a gun in a holster around their waist, and it appears as though they have a flashlight in their mouth. Only their eyes and mouth are visible throughout the entirety of the footage.
Anyone with any information about Nancy Guthrie’s case should call 1-800-CALL-FBI, 520-351-4900, 88-CRIME, or visit https://tips.fbi.gov/.
They then turn away from the camera and bend over, before ripping up a handful of greenery from a planter bed in front of the porch. The person returns to the camera and holds the leaves over the lens. At this point, the footage ends.
Soon after the footage was released, the FBI launched a webpage dedicated to Nancy’s case, which features details about the ongoing investigation, clips from the videos, and information about her health.
“She is considered to be a vulnerable adult who has difficulty walking, has a pacemaker, and needs daily medication for a heart condition,” the page notes.
Of the video footage and images, the webpage states: “The images above show an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance. The FBI seeks information that will lead to the identity of this individual.”
The video and images were originally shared by the the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and FBI Director Kash Patel, who posted the visuals on his X account.
A third clip taken moments before the other two shows the person making their initial approach to the front door, bowing their head down in an apparent attempt to hide their masked face.
No specific timeframe been shared, although officials previously revealed that Nancy’s security camera had been disconnected at around 1:47 a.m. local time on Feb. 1.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed soon after the footage was released that it had been reviewed by President Donald Trump, saying: “The president encourages any American across the country with any knowledge of the suspect to please call the FBI, who continue to assist state and local authorities who are leading this investigation on the ground.
“The prayers of this entire White House are with Savannah and her family at this time. We hope that this person is found soon and that her mother is brought home safely.”
The White House’s official X account also reshared the image post from Patel.
Savannah also quickly reposted the images taken from the videos on her Instagram account, along with the caption: “We believe she is still alive. Bring her home.”
She added a second post featuring the footage of the suspect, writing: “Someone out there recognizes this person.”
According to NBC, Savannah and her family reviewed the footage and images before they were released to the public—a decision that was taken after Nancy’s relatives and authorities failed to spot anything recognizable in the visuals.
The outlet also reported that Patel visited the Tucson “command center” where the Guthrie case is being managed on Monday during an unrelated trip to Arizona.
“Patel had separate travel on another subject that had been on his schedule for some time. While in the area, the director spent time with the team working the case,” NBC reported.
Why have authorities only just released images of a suspect in the Nancy Guthrie case?
Authorities had previously stated that they were unable to retrieve any footage from the Nest camera that was taken from the doorway of Nancy’s property because she did not have a subscription that enables archival video to be stored.
However, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department revealed in a statement issued on Tuesday that the video was ultimately “recovered from residual data located in backend systems.”
“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 statement read.
“The video was recovered from residual data located in backend systems. Working with our partners—as of this morning—law enforcement has uncovered these previously inaccessible new images showing an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance.”
Authorities further stated that they have no other information to share about the suspect at this time, nor are any additional press briefings planned.
What other new updates have been revealed about the case?
The update comes hours after new details emerged about exactly how Savannah and her siblings learned that their mother, Nancy, had disappeared—more than a week after the 84-year-old was reported missing and hours after a second alleged deadline included in an unverified ransom note lapsed.
It was initially stated by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department that friends of Nancy had raised the alarm when she failed to turn up to her usual church service near her Arizona home on Feb. 1.
However, sources close to the family have now told NBC News, a sister company of the “Today” show, that Nancy had in fact been due to watch the church service on a livestream at the home of a friend—who called her daughter, Annie, when she did not turn up at the property.
During an appearance on the “Today” show on Tuesday morning, the Guthrie family pastor, Michael Rudenza, of Good Shepherd New York, spoke to Hoda Kotb, who is standing in for Savannah, described the missing mother of three as a “strong woman” who is “fiercely loving.”
He confirmed that Nancy had started attending his New York-based church—of which Savannah is a member—online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite attending church services online, Rudenza said that he and his congregation have gotten to known Nancy very well over the years, explaining: “We’ve gotten to know what makes her tick.”
The pastor urged all “Today” viewers to keep hope alive, noting “we don’t know what we don’t know,” and asked them to offer their prayers to the Guthrie family.
“Prayer opens up possibilities in our own hearts,” he said. “Leaving a door open for hope is a way to fight against that fatality.”
Meanwhile, the FBI launched an extensive billboard campaign across multiple states on Monday, posting enormous “missing person” posters at sites in Arizona, New Mexico, California, and Texas.
Speaking to Fox News, an FBI spokesperson said that the campaign is targeted at raising “as much public awareness as possible for this case.”
“Our billboard footprint includes multiple states surrounding Arizona, and we hope this campaign will lead to the crucial piece of information that helps us bring Nancy home,” they added, noting that the FBI had partnered with billboard provider Clear Channel on the campaign.
The billboard features an image of Nancy, along with her age, height, weight, and name, as well as the FBI tip line: 1-800-CALL-FBI.
As yet, no suspects or persons of interest have been identified by authorities—who have yet to reveal whether a series of ransom notes sent to multiple news outlets last week have been verified.
Still, Savannah, 54, appeared to confirm suspicions that demands have been made by someone while posting multiple social media videos in which she and her siblings said they “will pay” for Nancy’s safe return.
In a clip shared to her Instagram account on Monday, Savannah thanked her fans and followers for all of their thoughts and prayers, before asking for more help in tracking down her missing mother.
“We are at an hour of desperation,” she said. “We believe our mom is still out there. She was taken and we don’t know where.”
She continued: “Law enforcement is working tirelessly around the clock, trying to bring her home, trying to find her. She was taken, and we don’t know where, and we need your help.
“I’m coming on just to ask you, not just for your prayers, but no matter where you are, even if you’re far from Tucson, if you see anything, you hear anything, if there’s anything at all that seems strange to you, that you report to law enforcement.”
Hours before that clip was shared, Savannah and her siblings told their missing mother Nancy’s alleged kidnappers that they “will pay” a reported $6 million ransom for her safe return.
Savannah appeared in the heartbreaking social media video on Saturday night in which she and her siblings, Annie and Cameron, issued a plea to anyone involved in Nancy’s disappearance, begging them to get in touch and return their mother to them.
“We received your message and we understand,” Savannah says in an apparent reference to a ransom note that was sent to multiple news outlets last week, in which Nancy’s alleged kidnappers demanded a reported $6 million be sent to them in Bitcoin.
“We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay.”
Authorities have confirmed that officers were continuing to search in and around Nancy’s home, which is located in the Catalina Foothills on the outskirts of Tucson.
Detectives were pictured on the roof of the home over the weekend, when reports emerged that they had removed a security camera, floodlight, and a vehicle from the premises. They were also spotted searching inside a septic tank on the property.
“Many of you observed an active law enforcement presence at the Guthrie residences over the weekend,” a statement issued by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department read. “That activity will continue … as part of the ongoing investigative process, including the expansion of the search and follow-up on new leads.”
What is the full timeline of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance?
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos noted during a media briefing on Feb. 5 that, while times are approximate, his team has pieced together several pieces of evidence that indicate Nancy’s movements—and the timeline of her apparent abduction.
Nancy, 84, was reported missing at around 12 p.m. local time on Feb. 1, around 14 hours after she was dropped off at the property following a family dinner. When she failed to turn up at her usual church gathering on Sunday, her friends alerted her family, who found her home was empty.
SATURDAY, JAN. 31
5:32 p.m. Nancy travels to Annie’s house in an Uber for “dinner and playing games with the family.”
9:48 p.m. A garage door at Nancy’s house opens when she was dropped off at the property by her daughter.
9:50 p.m. The garage door closes, indicating that Nancy was inside the home.
SUNDAY, FEB. 1
1:47 a.m. Nancy’s doorbell security camera is disconnected.
2:12 a.m. Movement is detected on a security camera at the home. No footage of this is currently available.
2:28 a.m. Nancy’s pacemaker app indicates that the device has been disconnected from her phone.
11:00 a.m. Nancy fails to arrive at the home of a friend, where she had been due to watch a church service livestream.
11:56 a.m. Nancy’s family travels to her home to check on her and finds the property empty.
12:03 p.m. The family calls 911 to report Nancy missing.
12:14 p.m. Police officers arrive at Nancy’s home.
While no footage is available from the cameras, Nanos noted that the security camera alerts lead them to believe that a person or persons may have been inside Nancy’s home between 2:12 a.m., when movement was detected, and 2:28 a.m., when her pacemaker stopped syncing with her Apple devices.
