Ten days into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the FBI on Tuesday released the first surveillance images and video footage showing a masked, armed individual on the 84-year-old’s front porch the morning she vanished from her Tucson, Arizona home. The images mark the most significant visual evidence made public since the mother of “Today” show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie was reported missing on February 1, and they come with an urgent plea from both law enforcement and the Guthrie family: someone out there knows who this person is.
FBI Director Kash Patel personally posted six black-and-white photos and three video clips to X, describing what investigators recovered as “previously inaccessible new images” pulled from residual data in backend systems. The footage, captured by a Nest surveillance camera at Guthrie’s Catalina Foothills home, shows a person wearing a full ski mask, gloves, sneakers, khaki-colored pants and a backpack approaching the front door. At least one of the videos reveals a holstered firearm at the individual’s waist.
What The Surveillance Footage Shows
The videos are chilling in their deliberateness. In one 27-second clip, the person walks up to the front door, raises a gloved hand to the doorbell camera, and attempts to block it. When that doesn’t fully work, the individual steps away, grabs plants from the front yard, and places them in front of the lens. At one point, the person appears to have a flashlight in their mouth while working to conceal the camera. Their eyes are visible through the mask’s openings, and former FBI analysts reviewing the footage have suggested the individual may have a mustache.
None of the subject’s clothing bears visible logos or identifying markings, including the backpack. No vehicle is visible in the footage, though one may have been parked elsewhere on the street. The FBI worked with Google to recover the Nest camera video, according to two law enforcement sources who spoke to CBS News, a critical breakthrough given that Guthrie did not have an active video subscription, which initially made investigators believe the footage was lost forever.
Timeline Of The Disappearance
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen around 9:45 p.m. on January 31 after having dinner at the home of her daughter Annie Guthrie in Tucson. She was dropped off at her residence in the upscale Catalina Foothills neighborhood that evening. When she failed to appear for virtual church services the following day, family members went to check on her and found her phone, wallet, and daily medication left behind, but no sign of Nancy.
According to the timeline released by authorities, the doorbell camera at her home disconnected at approximately 1:47 a.m. on February 1. Software then detected a person on camera at 2:12 a.m., but because there was no active video subscription, no footage was recorded from that detection. DNA testing confirmed that blood drops found on the front porch belong to Guthrie. Investigators also found signs of forced entry and a door propped open.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has been direct about what the evidence suggests. “It does look like to us, she was taken from that house against her will in the middle of the night,” Nanos told ABC News.
The Ransom Notes And A Deadline That Has Passed
The case took a darker turn when multiple news outlets, including TMZ and Arizona CBS affiliate KOLD, reported receiving ransom notes demanding payment in Bitcoin for Guthrie’s safe return. The first note demanded $4 million, escalating to $6 million if the initial deadline of 5 p.m. Thursday, February 5, was not met. A second deadline of Monday, February 9, at 5 p.m. local time came and went without reported payment or any confirmed contact from the alleged kidnappers.
The ransom notes included a real Bitcoin wallet address and contained details that journalists who reviewed them said only someone with knowledge of the crime scene would know, including references to a specific item at Guthrie’s home. NBC News reviewed a copy of the note and confirmed its contents are consistent with descriptions provided by the FBI. However, no law enforcement agency has verified the notes’ authenticity or confirmed they came from the actual abductors.
The situation has also attracted opportunists. The FBI arrested a California man, 42-year-old Derrick Callella, who allegedly sent fraudulent text messages to Annie Guthrie claiming to be involved in the kidnapping and demanding Bitcoin payment. A second ransom note received by authorities was also conclusively determined to be fake.
Savannah Guthrie’s Pleas Grow More Desperate
Over the past ten days, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings Annie and Camron have released a series of increasingly emotional video messages. The tone has shifted dramatically, from initial appeals directly to the kidnappers asking for proof of life, to the family’s willingness to pay, to outright desperation aimed at the broader public.
“We received your message, and we understand,” Savannah Guthrie said in an Instagram video Saturday alongside her siblings. “We beg you now to return our mother to us so we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”
By Monday, the tone had shifted entirely. Savannah Guthrie appeared alone in a video, no longer addressing the abductors but speaking directly to the American public. “We are at an hour of desperation, and we need your help,” she said. “We believe our mom is still out there. We need your help. Law enforcement is working tirelessly, around the clock, trying to bring her home.”
After the surveillance images were released Tuesday, she shared them on Instagram with a caption that cut through the noise: “Someone out there recognizes this person. We believe she is still alive. Bring her home.”
Health Concerns Add Urgency
The search carries a medical urgency that grows more serious by the day. Sheriff Nanos has said Guthrie needs daily medication and that going without it “could be fatal.” She has high blood pressure, limited mobility, and a pacemaker that disconnected from its monitoring app on her phone in the early morning hours of February 1. Nanos has described Guthrie as “sharp as a tack” with no cognitive issues, but her physical health makes every passing day more dangerous.
What Happens Next
The FBI is operating a 24-hour command post in Tucson with crisis management experts, analytic support, and investigative teams. Additional personnel from FBI field offices across the country have been deployed to Arizona. Director Patel personally visited the Tucson command center on Monday. Digital billboards featuring the case have been deployed in major cities across Texas, California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe compared the release of the surveillance images to a pivotal moment in another high-profile case. “It takes me back to April 18, 2013, when we sat in Director Mueller’s office and decided to release the photographs of the Boston Marathon bombers to the public,” McCabe told CNN, adding that this “could be the moment that turns this incredibly excruciating investigation around.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump reviewed the surveillance footage Tuesday and that his initial reaction was “pure disgust.” She said the president “encourages any American across the country with any knowledge of the suspect to please call the FBI.”
The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Guthrie’s recovery or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance. Anyone with information can contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or submit tips at tips.fbi.gov.