FBI releases images of masked person on missing Nancy Guthrie’s porch

Authorities investigating the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie more than a week ago released the first surveillance images on Tuesday, showing a masked person on her porch on the night she went missing.

Video released by the FBI shows the person wearing a backpack, long sleeves and trousers and walking up to the door at the home of the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie.

The footage shows the person trying to cover a camera near the front door with their gloved hand before putting plants in front of the camera.

The images show “an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance”, FBI director Kash Patel said on X.

In the videos, the person appeared to be wearing the holster attached to their front waist area.

Another video shows the person purposefully tilting their head down while nearing the front archway.

Mr Patel said the videos were pulled from “residual data located in backend systems” after investigators spent days trying to find lost, corrupted or inaccessible images.

This was the first major breakthrough in an investigation that has raised more questions than answers, including whether the 84-year-old is still alive. It comes as law enforcement and her family intensified calls for assistance from the public.

“This will get the phone ringing for lots of potential leads,” former FBI agent Katherine Schweit said.

“Even when you have a person who appears to be completely covered, they’re really not. You can see their girth, the shape of their face, potentially their eyes or mouth. You can see a gait that people around that person may recognise immediately.”

Authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will from her house just outside Tucson.

She was last seen there on January 31 and reported missing the next day after she did not attend church.

DNA tests showed blood on her front porch was a match to her, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said.

Authorities say Nancy Guthrie needs daily medication because she is said to have high blood pressure and heart issues, including a pacemaker.

Up until now, authorities have released few details about who may have abducted the 84-year-old from her home in Arizona and whether she is still alive, leaving it unclear if ransom notes demanding money with deadlines already passed were authentic and whether the Guthrie family has had any contact with the abductors.

Savannah Guthrie posted the new surveillance images on social media on Tuesday with the caption, “We believe she is still alive. Bring her home”, and phone numbers for the FBI and county sheriff. Within minutes, the post had thousands of comments.

Investigators had hoped cameras would turn up evidence right away about how Nancy Guthrie went missing from her home in a secluded neighbourhood outside Tucson. But the doorbell camera was disconnected early on Sunday, and while software recorded movement at the home minutes later, she did not have an active subscription, so none of the footage could be recovered, Mr Nanos had said.

Heartbreaking messages by Savannah Guthrie and her family shifted from hopeful to bleak as they pleaded with the apparent kidnappers. In a video just ahead of a purported ransom deadline on Monday, Savannah Guthrie appeared alone and spoke directly to the public, not the abductor.

“We are at an hour of desperation,” she said. “We need your help.”

Her family’s turn to the public comes as much of the nation is closely following the dramatic case involving the longtime anchor of NBC’s morning show.