Ring ‘Neighbors’ app aids Nancy Guthrie missing person search investigation

A cybersecurity expert said the Ring “Neighbors” app could be a valuable tool for investigators as they continue the search for missing Nancy Guthrie.

A person living in Nancy Guthrie’s neighborhood told Fox News that she received an alert from her Ring Neighbors app on February 11 that referred to a message stating that investigators were requesting surveillance footage from two separate periods, including January 11 between 9:00 p.m. and midnight, as well as January 31 between 9:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. The alert claimed a “suspicious vehicle” was spotted in the area around 10 a.m. in January. 1.

Investigators continue to search for Nancy Guthrie as she has been missing for more than two weeks.

Guthrie was forcibly taken from her home in Tucson, Arizona, early in the morning of February 1 and did not leave on her own. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos already said it.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News that the alert on the Ring Neighbors app did not come from them, but was issued by a resident who lives in the Nancy Guthrie area.

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FBI agents inspect homes near Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. Guthrie was last seen Saturday evening as an investigation into her disappearance continues. (L) A portrait of Nancy Guthrie and Savannah Guthrie shown in a photo provided by NBC. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital; courtesy of NBC)

“Please check your recordings before they are overwritten; footage of vehicle traffic is especially helpful. When submitting, please include your address and the specific date and time of the video. Hopefully we can piece this together,” the individual wrote in the Neighbors app post.

Although the post on the Neighbors app was not made by the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, the agency did post its own post on the mobile app requesting any video footage that included anything out of the ordinary between January 1 and February 2.

What is the Ring Neighbors app?

Eric O’Neill, a cybersecurity expert and former FBI agent, told Fox News Digital that the Ring Neighbors app allows residents in a neighborhood to share information with each other. For example, O’Neill, who uses the app, said people often share information about a crime happening in her neighborhood.

“What people often do is share information about a crime that has taken place. Sometimes they capture someone trying to break into their car. Or God forbid, and they post the footage as a warning to neighbors,” O’Neill said. “It’s a way for neighbors in a neighborhood to collaborate on safety.”

According to Ring, the Neighbors app uses an individual’s location and they will receive any alerts sent by neighbors or government sources, such as law enforcement.

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A law enforcement officer checks areas of vegetation around Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Ariz., Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (Ty ONeil/AP Photo)

“If you share an alert on the app about a crime or safety issue in your area, your neighbors will also receive a notification on their phones and tablets. You can then comment on these alerts to provide additional information on local issues, give tips for avoiding the affected areas, share photos or videos to help neighbors stay alert, etc.,” specifies the Ring site.

How was the Ring Neighbors app used to assist in the Nancy Guthrie investigation?

After someone living in the Nancy Guthrie area shared a neighborhood alert asking people to submit video footage from specific time periods, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department posted its own message about the request.

Sources told Fox News Digital that the FBI was canvassing the Nancy Guthrie area and requested security video footage from January 11 between 9 p.m. and midnight. The FBI did not respond to a request for comment, and it is unclear why investigators are interested in a specific time frame.

“If you receive this alert, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department is urgently requesting your assistance in locating Nancy Guthrie, 84, who was last seen on the evening of January 31, 2026, at her residence near East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue,” the Sheriff’s Department wrote. “We are requesting all video footage including vehicles, vehicle traffic, people/pedestrians and anything you believe is out of the ordinary or important to our investigation from January 1, 2026 to February 2, 2026.”

The Sheriff’s Department included a link on the Neighbors app post where Nancy Guthrie area residents can submit video that may be relevant to the investigation.

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Photos posted on February 10, 2025 show a “subject” on Nancy Guthrie’s property. (Provided by the FBI)

A Ring spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the app has a community requests feature that allows law enforcement “to publicly post video requests from Ring camera owners in a designated area to support a specific investigation.”

“The goal is to provide Ring camera owners with a way to help their community when something happens in their neighborhood, furthering Ring’s mission to make neighborhoods safer,” the spokesperson said.

How can the Ring Neighbors app be used to solve crimes?

O’Neill said law enforcement can use the Ring Neighbors app in several ways to help solve crimes.

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Members of the press work outside the home of Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona. (AP Photo/Caitlin O’Hara)

“First, there could be a message that law enforcement asks Ring to send on their behalf on the app that, here, as in the Nancy Guthrie case, provides a link,” he said. “Ring can also request footage from residents in the neighborhood, gather that information directly into the Ring cloud, and then transmit it to or provide access to law enforcement.”

“I suspect that here, both things are happening,” O’Neill said.

Fox News’ Sarah Alegre contributed to this report.