Suspect Visited Nancy Guthrie Home Before Disappearance, Sources Say

Lead

Sources familiar with the investigation say surveillance footage shows a masked man at Nancy Guthrie’s front door on a day before her disappearance, which investigators mark as the night of Feb. 1, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona. The earlier image shows the figure without a backpack; separate images released by investigators show the same subject wearing a backpack the morning of Feb. 1, when Guthrie failed to attend a virtual church service. Law enforcement agencies have declined public comment, while the footage has become central evidence in the federal and local probe. Authorities have asked neighbors to review home security recordings dating back to Jan. 1 as they seek additional leads.

Key Takeaways

• Surveillance: A Nest doorbell image captured a masked man at Nancy Guthrie’s front door on a day before Feb. 1, 2026, according to sources.
• Distinct images: FBI-released images showing the suspect with a backpack were described as taken the morning of Feb. 1, the day Guthrie was reported absent from a virtual service.
• Timeline expansion: Investigators asked neighbors to check footage and vehicles dating to Jan. 1, broadening the review window by about a month.
• Evidence weight: The released images are cited by officials and outside analysts as among the most important evidence in the disappearance investigation.
• No public ID: As of publication, authorities have not identified a suspect in connection with Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
• Investigative theory: Sources and a former FBI agent say an earlier approach could indicate prior surveillance and planning by the suspect.

Background

Nancy Guthrie, the mother of television host Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing in Tucson, Arizona, after she failed to log on to a virtual church service on Feb. 1, 2026. The disappearance prompted a multiagency response that includes the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department; both have acknowledged the investigation but declined to discuss certain operational details publicly. The case drew national attention because of the family connection to a high-profile broadcast journalist and the unusual circumstances around the residence-based surveillance that produced the images.

Doorbell and home-security cameras have become increasingly central to local criminal inquiries nationwide, giving investigators time-stamped images that can narrow timelines and identify patterns of behavior. In this case, sources say the subject appears in one set of frames without a backpack on a day before Feb. 1, and later in frames wearing a backpack during the morning of Feb. 1. Investigators have asked neighbors throughout the neighborhood to check their cameras and vehicle dashcams for any suspicious people or vehicles going back to Jan. 1 to determine whether the suspect traveled through or surveilled the area earlier.

Main Event

According to sources briefed on evidence shared with ABC News, a Nest doorbell camera at Guthrie’s home recorded a masked individual at the front door on a day before the suspected abduction. That earlier image shows the subject without a backpack, while separate footage from investigators depicts the person with a backpack on the morning Guthrie disappeared. The FBI characterized the backpack images as taken the morning of her disappearance, Feb. 1.

Investigators believe the gap between the two images could indicate the person returned after an initial approach. Sources told reporters the suspect may have first come to the door, been deterred by the visible camera, and then returned later to tamper with the device and obscure the lens with branches. That reported tampering is consistent with what law enforcement described when asking neighbors to review home camera footage from earlier dates.

Authorities have made the images public to solicit leads, while continuing forensic and neighborhood canvass work. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI have not publicly named a suspect or confirmed whether the images show the same individual, but sources and outside analysts consider the images a core piece of evidence. The investigation remains active and ongoing, with federal and local investigators coordinating follow-up inquiries and witness interviews.

Analysis & Implications

If investigators confirm the earlier and later images show the same person, that pattern would suggest premeditation rather than a spontaneous act. Former FBI personnel and open-source investigators say multiple visits are a common feature in cases where a perpetrator conducts surveillance to learn household patterns, camera positions, and escape routes before committing a crime. That practical preparation can significantly affect investigative priorities, shifting resources toward digital forensics, neighborhood canvassing, and vehicle-trace analysis.

Wider implications include calls for neighbors and residents to audit and share footage from all available devices; investigators have explicitly asked for recordings going back to Jan. 1. A broader window helps detect vehicles or individuals repeatedly present in the area, which could produce corroborating timestamps or license-plate information. The presence of tampering, if confirmed, typically prompts forensic teams to prioritize restoration of altered footage and to search for biological or trace evidence at the tampering site.

There are also reputational and emotional impacts: the high-profile family connection keeps public attention focused on the case, which can help generate tips but also places pressure on investigators to communicate carefully. For the local community, the incident underscores vulnerabilities around residential security and the value of distributed surveillance in assisting criminal investigations. Internationally, the case aligns with a trend where readily available home cameras are increasingly the first line of documentary evidence in missing-person inquiries.

Comparison & Data

The table summarizes how sources and the FBI have described the time-linked images. Investigators have expanded their requests to include footage from Jan. 1 onward, adding about a month of video review that could reveal repeated appearances or related vehicles. Data recovery teams will compare timestamps, camera metadata, and any overlapping fields of view from neighboring devices to establish movement patterns and possible routes.

Reactions & Quotes

Officials have largely limited public comment, while sources briefed on the evidence have spoken to reporters. The FBI’s description of images as “the morning of her disappearance” framed the most widely circulated set of frames as temporally tied to Feb. 1. That statement has been used by investigators to narrow the most urgent time window for follow-up.

the images of the suspect with the backpack on are from the morning of her disappearance, Sunday, Feb. 1

FBI (as reported to media)

Investigative analysts told reporters that an early approach followed by a return visit suggests surveillance and planning rather than impulsive behavior. A former FBI agent provided an explanation of what the pattern could indicate for the investigation’s direction.

it could indicate that the person was there surveilling the place before the abduction happened

Jason Pack, former FBI agent

Public reaction on social platforms has been a mix of concern and calls for concrete updates; family members and friends are urging anyone with footage or information to contact law enforcement. The request for neighborhood recordings aims to translate that public concern into actionable leads that can be vetted and corroborated by investigators.

Unconfirmed

• Whether the person in the earlier image and the person in the Feb. 1 morning images are the same individual remains unconfirmed by authorities.
• Reports that the suspect tampered with the camera and placed branches in front of the lens are based on source accounts and have not been fully verified publicly by law enforcement.
• The motive for the disappearance and any connection between the suspect and the Guthrie family are not established in available public records.

Bottom Line

The release and characterization of two sets of images — one described as occurring a day before Feb. 1 and another labeled the morning of Feb. 1 — have shifted the investigative focus toward possible prior surveillance and planning. Investigators are expanding their evidence collection by requesting video and images dating back to Jan. 1 to detect patterns or repeated appearances that could identify a suspect or associated vehicle.

For the public, the most actionable step is to review and preserve any home-security footage, doorbell recordings, or dashcam video from the area and timeframe requested by investigators. The case remains active; authorities emphasize that tips and corroborating digital evidence can materially affect the course and speed of the investigation.

Sources

• ABC7 San Francisco / ABC News report (local media / national news report)
• FBI (federal law enforcement, official)
• Pima County Sheriff’s Department (local law enforcement, official)
• The Associated Press (news agency)