Person detained in connection to Nancy Guthrie case, sheriff says : NPR

The FBI has released surveillance footage from Nancy Guthrie’s home on the morning she disappeared.

FBI Director Kash Patel’s X accountaccount

hide caption

toggle caption

FBI Director Kash Patel’s X accountaccount

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said it has detained a person for questioning in connection with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie from her home near Tucson, Ariz., more than a week ago.

“Earlier today, Pima County Sheriff’s Department deputies detained a subject during a traffic stop south of Tucson,” department spokesperson Angelica Carrillo said Tuesday night in an emailed statement.

The news comes after the FBI earlier Tuesday released surveillance camera photos and videos showing a masked person outside Guthrie’s home the morning the 84-year-old disappeared, marking the first significant break in the case. The footage was recovered from Guthrie’s front-door security system camera.

It’s unclear whether the person detained on Tuesday was the person in the videos or someone else. Authorities have yet to name any suspects or people of interest in the case. It also remains unclear whether Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, is still alive. 

FBI Director Kash Patel described the masked individual pictured in the footage as armed and said the subject appears to have tampered with the camera.

“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,” Patel wrote on social media.

Guthrie was last seen on the evening of Jan. 31.

That night, she attended a dinner and game night at one of her daughters’ homes and was dropped back at her home just north of Tucson, Ariz., by a family member around 9:48 p.m.

Officials say that several hours later, at 1:47 a.m., Guthrie’s doorbell camera disconnected. About a half hour after that, the camera detected movement, but until Tuesday, officials said they had been unable to retrieve the footage.

It wasn’t until the next day, Feb. 1, when Guthrie did not show up for church, that the family was alerted that something might be wrong and the authorities were contacted.

An investigation of Guthrie’s house revealed blood on the front porch that DNA testing has shown belonged to the missing woman. And a camera from Guthrie’s home was reported missing.

The FBI has said that it was taking seriously at least one ransom demand from people who say they abducted Guthrie, though it has not confirmed whether the note is genuine.

The ransom note includes two deadlines: one that passed last week on Thursday and another that expired Monday. Authorities didn’t provide details about whether or what threats were made in relation to the deadlines.

This image provided by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department on Feb. 2 shows a missing-person alert for Nancy Guthrie.

AP/Pima County Sheriff’s Department

hide caption

toggle caption

AP/Pima County Sheriff’s Department

Guthrie’s three children — Annie, Camron and Savannah — have said that they are willing to cooperate with whoever is holding their mother, including paying her captors, and that they still believe their mother is alive.

In a video released on Instagram on Monday, Savannah Guthrie said: “We believe our mom is still out there.”

She also asked for prayers and tips regarding Nancy Guthrie’s whereabouts.