Why Sheriff in Nancy Guthrie’s Abduction Case Requested Surveillance from Weeks Before Her Disappearance, Then Retracted the Ask
NBC News’ Liz Kreutz reported that Google initially told Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos that a surveillance image of a suspect without a backpack was from Jan. 11, but later said the date could not be confirmed
The investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie has taken another turn, as an Arizona sheriff adjusted an earlier request for surveillance footage. Authorities had initially sought video from weeks before her disappearance, hoping to uncover new leads.
Authorities have spent weeks reviewing video and searching for clues since she disappeared.
The mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie is believed to have been kidnapped from her home in Tucson, Ariz., by a masked man in the middle of the night. Doorbell camera footage from her home shows the suspect apparently tampering with the device around 2 a.m. on the day she vanished.
Investigators suspect the man captured in the footage may have visited Nancy’s home before Feb. 1. Authorities previously asked local residents for camera footage from Jan. 11, between 9 p.m. and midnight, as well as from Jan. 31, between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Despite eight weeks of investigation, no new leads have emerged, and Nancy remains missing.
Most recently, a statement from the Guthrie family emphasized those dates in the ongoing search. “We hope people search their memories, especially around the key timelines of January 31 and the early morning hours of February 1, as well as the late evening of January 11,” the family was quoted as saying during KVOA News 4 Tucson’s special Bring Her Home: The Disappearance of Nancy Guthrie on Saturday, March 21.
In an Instagram post shared by NBC News’ Liz Kreutz on Monday, March 23, the journalist said she spoke with Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who shared more context on why investigators have focused on the Jan. 11 date — and why that focus was later walked back.
Kreutz explained that while trying to recover footage from Nancy’s Nest camera, investigators reached out to Google, which owns Nest. At first, Google told Nanos that one of the surveillance images — showing the suspect without a backpack — was from Jan. 11. Later, however, Google clarified that the exact date could not be confirmed.
The surveillance footage, which was released by the FBI’s Phoenix office on Feb. 10, shows a person wearing a ski mask covering their face and gloves walking up to the front door of the home. Nanos said at the time that the video was “recovered from residual data located in backend systems.”
Nanos said in a March 12 interview with NBC News that investigators believe they know the motive behind the kidnapping.
“We believe we know why [the kidnapper] did this and we believe that it was targeted, but we’re not 100% sure of that,” Nanos said. “I think day one, we had some strong beliefs about what happened, and those beliefs haven’t diminished.” No other details were shared.
Investigators are also continuing to analyze DNA evidence collected from Nancy’s home and have noted that blood found on the exterior porch matches Nancy’s DNA. Nanos has said investigators remain hopeful it will lead investigators to “somebody.”
A $100,000 reward had been offered by the FBI for any information leading to Nancy’s recovery or an arrest in the case. Savannah and her family have since offered an increased $1 million reward and donated $500,000 to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Anyone with information about Nancy’s disappearance is asked to please contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.
