Someone knows who kidnapped Nancy Guthrie, authorities say. Video likely holds key
The grainy black and white image became the focus of the investigation into Nancy Guthrie.
At 1:47 a.m. on February 1, a person appeared at the door of his Tucson home. The person is wearing a hood, gloves and a backpack. A firearm is worn at the person’s waist, positioned at the front of the person’s body and easily visible.
The person notices the camera on Guthrie’s porch and tries to cover the lens with his hand before searching around the patio and yard, apparently looking for something that would obstruct the camera. The individual ends up settling on some greenery found in the yard.
It’s been a week since these images became public. But authorities still have no suspects in the case. Two people were detained for questioning but were later released.
“Like the Unabomber”
The FBI released this image showing an armed person appearing to tamper with the camera outside Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning she disappeared.
(FBI)
Yet authorities believe the footage holds the key to solving the case.
On Sunday, the FBI said DNA was found on a glove discovered 2 miles from Guthrie’s home that matched those worn by a masked person seen outside the home. But officials said Tuesday that DNA from the glove did not match anything in CODIS, the national DNA database used by law enforcement.
A video-based tip is probably the best way for investigators to solve the case quickly.
“I think someone knows who it is,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told the Daily Mail. “I believe that someone can watch this video and go, I know exactly who it is. And that’s what we call on our community. If you go back in history – like in cases like the Unabomber – they were discovered because someone in the community, a family member, a neighbor, called and said, ‘I think I know who did this.’
Theodore Kaczynski was found with the help of his brother who read excerpts from the Unabomber manifesto and alerted authorities to his suspicions. The bomber had been targeting people for years before his manifesto was published in the Washington Post. David Kaczynski noticed similarities between the manifesto and letters he received from his brother.
The FBI had unsuccessfully tracked the Unabomber for 18 years before his capture at a hermit’s cabin in Montana in April 1996. Agents involved in the hunt said they might never have found the reclusive former math teacher without the help provided by David Kaczynski.
Trying to keep hope alive
At this point, authorities and the Guthrie family are trying to hold on to hope more than three weeks after Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping.
“Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie posted a statement on Instagram on Sunday pleading with the kidnappers.
“And I wanted to tell anyone who has her or knows where she is that it’s never too late, you’re not lost or alone, and it’s never too late to do the right thing,” she said. “We are here and we believe, and we believe in the essential goodness of every human being, and it is never too late.”
No proof of life has been provided for the 84-year-old woman and her family has expressed concerns about her health as she was kidnapped without medication.
But the clues are scattered. Nanos told CBS News that investigators believe the clothing, backpack and mask worn by the suspect could have been purchased at a Walmart. Investigators are working with Walmart management to identify the person who purchased the backpack, the department said Tuesday.
Although the DNA on the gloves did not lead them to a suspect, authorities are also testing DNA evidence found at Guthrie’s home. The results of these tests are awaited.
Nancy Guthrie was discovered missing after she failed to show up at a friend’s house to attend a church service. She was taken home without heart medication, and it is not known how long she will survive without these medications.
The kidnapping drama has captivated the nation, but there are relatively few leads.
A day after Guthrie’s disappearance, media outlets received identical ransom notes that investigators believed were legitimate.
Sources told the Times that authorities have no evidence that the person who wrote the ransom note owns Guthrie. But they also said that note appeared credible because it contained details about a specific damaged property and the location of a fixture in the home that had not been made public.
Why experts think video is essential
The discovery of the video marked the biggest break yet.
Law enforcement worked for days after the kidnapping to recover any images or video footage that may have been “lost, corrupted or inaccessible due to a variety of factors, including the removal of recording devices,” FBI Director Kash Patel told X last week.
Experts told the Times that even if the person is masked, it’s likely someone close to them could identify them.
“Someone is going to recognize this individual. They’re going to recognize the clothing, they’re going to recognize the gait and the way he carries himself. I think it’s going to be significant,” said Mary Ellen O’Toole, a professor at George Mason University.
“He or she won’t be dressed exactly like they were here, but they will have used some of those clothes in daily life,” said University of Hawaii Police Chief Andrew Black.
