Surveillance Images, Video Released of ‘Armed’ Subject in Nancy Guthrie’s Kidnapping

Nest Camera footage from home of Nancy Guthrie.Credit : Pima County Sheriff’s Department (2)

NEED TO KNOW

Nancy Guthrie vanished from her home in Tucson, Ariz., after being dropped off by her family on Sat., Jan. 31
Authorities released new images and video of a masked, armed person taken the night of her disappearance
Police believe the person tampered with her front door camera

Law enforcement experts say newly released surveillance images in the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother could prove pivotal, expressing optimism that the footage may finally help identify the person seen at Nancy Guthrie’s door the night she vanished.

The video, which was released by authorities on Tuesday, Feb. 10, shows a person wearing a ski mask covering their face and gloves walking up to the front door of the home.

The person appears to have tampered with the front door camera, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a post on X.

Chip Massey, former FBI hostage negotiator, tells PEOPLE the footage represents a big step in the investigation.

“Before, we were working from almost nothing,” he says. “Because we didn’t know what the family was getting in terms of emails and what was being sent. But here now we have the image of the captor, of the person breaking into this house. So there is so much here. We’re gonna know his height, his weight. And I guarantee you, more importantly, there is somebody out there that knows exactly who this is.”

Nancy and Savannah Guthrie on Today on April 17, 2019.Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Adds Massey: “I guarantee it, there is somebody who knows who this individual is that sees that picture, sees that video, and they’re gonna be able to identify. The question is, will they call?”

Former FBI assistant director Kieran Ramsey says the goal of releasing the images and videos is to “jog the attention or memory of anybody out there.”

Ramsey says it is clear that the unidentified person “went to an effort to make sure that it wouldn’t be that easy to identify him. But now the FBI’s released that, it’s meant to, again, hopefully jog the attention about something else clearly that can be observed.”

According to Ramsey, leasing the images and video is about “pressure building,” he tells PEOPLE. “This public exposure is going to raise the stress on anyone involved in this, especially if there is anybody that’s maybe just a helper or a facilitator who didn’t really sign up for how high profile this went.”

Nanos said the video was “recovered from residual data located in backend systems.” The sheriff also noted that in “working with our partners — as of this morning, law enforcement has uncovered these previously inaccessible new images showing an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance.”

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After the release of the footage, Savannah Guthrie reposted the images on her Instagram, stating “We believe she is alive. Bring her home.”

Nancy vanished from her home in Tucson, Ariz., after being dropped off by her family at 9:48 p.m. on Sat., Jan. 31.

Pima County Sheriff’s Department

Her family reported her missing at 12:15 p.m. on Feb. 1, when she missed church.

Law enforcement launched a massive investigation into her disappearance, saying that she was taken against her will.

Pima County Sheriff’s Department

A trail of her blood confirmed to be hers was found on the front steps of her home.

Rebecca Noble/Getty

In the days leading up to the video release, alleged kidnappers sent ransom notes to several media outlets.

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The Today show host, 54, and her two siblings made emotional pleas to the alleged kidnapper or kidnappers in videos posted on Instagram

The alleged kidnappers set an initial deadline for 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, and a second deadline for 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9, but on Feb. 9, federal authorities announced they were “not aware” of any contact between the family and unidentified suspects.