E-Paper
Nancy Guthrie case: Was masked man seen at her Tucson home before potential abduction? Chilling new details emerge
The masked man seen in surveillance photos and videos amid the search for Nancy Guthrie may have been at the 84-year-old’s front door earlier than February 1.
The masked man who was seen in surveillance photos and videos amid the search for Nancy Guthrie appears to have been at the 84-year-old’s front door earlier than February 1, the night cops believe she was abducted, sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News. The sources added that one of the images released by the FBI, showing the person at Nancy’s front door without a backpack, was captured by her Nest doorbell camera on a day before her suspected kidnapping.
The FBI said that the photos of the man with the backpack on are from "the morning of her disappearance," Sunday, February 1. This is the day Nancy failed to show up to watch a virtual church service.
The sources said that according to one of the theories, the suspect approached the door the first time, and was scared off when he noticed the camera. However, he returned later, which is when he is seen tampering with the device and putting branches in front of the lens.
NewsNation's Brian Entin shared a collage of two photos, writing on X, “These two photos of the Nancy Guthrie suspect were taken on different days, sources confirm to me and @LibbeyDean_ – indicating the suspect appears to have visited Guthrie’s house before the kidnapping.”
However, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said that this information did not come from him or the FBI. "The info that it occurred on a different day did not come from the FBI or PCSD," he told Fox News.
Fox News' Michael Ruiz shared another statement by the Pima County Sheriff's Department, which said, “Suspect Image: We are aware that doorbell images released earlier in the investigation depict a suspect in different stages of attire, including with and without a backpack. There is no date or time stamp associated with these images. Therefore, any suggestion that the photographs were taken on different days is purely speculative. This remains an active and ongoing criminal investigation. As with any investigation, conclusions will be guided by verifiable evidence and established facts. Speculation, without factual support, does not advance the investigative process.”
Jason Pack, a former FBI agent, told ABC News that if it was the same individual, "it could indicate that the person was there surveilling the place before the abduction happened."
"The fact that there was preparation and planning, which makes it more of a sophisticated type of criminal activity than someone just showing up," he added.
What the surveillance videos and photos showed
The black-and-white photos and clips show a person wearing gloves, a mask, khakis, sneakers and a backpack, appearing to tamper with the camera at Nancy’s front door on the morning she went missing. One of the videos shows the person walking up to the door with their head down. The individual’s eyes are visible through holes in their mask.
Meanwhile, Nanos recently said that he believes Nancy is being held locally. "I don't know why. I don't have any evidence to prove that, but I just believe she's somewhere here locally," he told the BBC on Wednesday, February 18.
However, officials still do not have suspects or a list of names, said Nanos.
