Where things stand
• Reward grows: The FBI is increasing its reward up to $100,000 for information leading to the location of Nancy Guthrie or an arrest in the case. They also released a description for the “suspect in the kidnapping,” saying he’s about 5’9” - 5’10” tall with an average build.
• Multiple gloves found: Evidence recovered by investigators looking into Guthrie’s disappearance included multiple gloves. It’s unclear whether authorities believe they were worn by the person in the doorbell footage.
• Day 12 of investigation: Guthrie’s Tucson neighbors have been asked to submit any footage from doorbell cameras that includes cars and people from about four weeks before the 84-year-old went missing.
• Tribute to mom: Savannah Guthrie shared a home video with her mother, saying the family “will never give up on her.”
White tent at Guthrie's home used to create nighttime testing conditions, source says
A white tent erected by federal agents at the home of Nancy Guthrie on Thursday was part of a testing procedure to create nighttime conditions similar to the time of day the 84-year-old went missing, a law enforcement source familiar told CNN.
Once FBI specialists set up the tent to create a blackout environment, replica clothing and a backpack similar to what the suspect was believed to be wearing were examined through the lens of what a doorbell camera might see at night, the source said.
The source said examiners looked at the reflections of lighting against the items to ensure they were confident in their brand names.
Also on Thursday, FBI examiners used specialized equipment to analyze the front of the home where the suspect was seen on video in order to determine his height, resulting in the FBI assessing him to be 5’9” to 5’10” tall.
Analysts break down what FBI's increase in reward could mean
CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst, John Miller, and former NYPD hostage negotiator Wallace Zeins speak to CNN’s Erin Burnett about the FBI increasing the reward for information on the Nancy Guthrie case.
Technology used to determine suspect’s height is “extremely accurate,” ex-FBI assistant director says
The technology used to determine the height of the suspect in the Nancy Guthrie disappearance is “extremely accurate,” said Joshua Skule, former FBI executive assistant director for intelligence.
“The height and the backpack are very good clues,” Skule said of the FBI being able to determine what brand backpack the suspect was wearing in doorbell video released earlier this week.
Next, the FBI will investigate how many of these backpacks were sold and when, Skule said.
“They’ll look at that volume and they’ll start to work backwards and narrowing it down to include the sales in the immediate area of Tucson and then broadening it,” Skule told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
Additionally, investigators will see what other brand names they can determine that could generate more leads.
“Whether it’s the jacket, we already have the backpack, we might have the gloves, certainly the lab is working hard on that,” Skule said. “And my guess is, as … they’re able to identify other pieces of clothing that have a brand name, they will publish that out to the public just for more clues and more leads for investigators to follow.”
FBI releases description for suspect seen in doorbell camera video, increases reward
The FBI’s Phoenix office released a description of the suspect seen in images and video from Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell camera that were recovered by the FBI, and also raised the reward for information up to $100,000.
The person in the video is described as a 5’9” to 5’10” man with an average build wearing a black, 25-liter ‘Ozark Trail Hiker Pack.’
“We hope this updated description will help concentrate the public tips we are receiving,” the FBI Phoenix office said. Over 13,000 tips have been submitted to the FBI on the case since February 1, they said. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said yesterday they’ve received nearly 18,000 calls so far.
The FBI also increased the reward from $50,000 to $100,000 for information that helps find Guthrie, or an arrest and conviction into those involved in her disappearance.
In addition to helping potential witnesses with possible recollection of events, a source familiar said additional details about the individual on video are being released to help reduce tips from across the country that investigators believe are not at all associated with the case.
In the category of tips likely unrelated to the case, the source said investigators have been contacted by some psychics, mystics and clairvoyants trying to help.
The source stressed investigators are still appealing to the public to call authorities with anything that could be associated with the case – however insignificant the caller believes the tip to be.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Officials seek neighborhood footage from 2-mile radius 12 days into Nancy Guthrie search. Here’s the latest
Nearly two weeks have passed since Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on February 1, and investigators are now calling on her neighbors to hand over any surveillance footage that might aid in their search for the 84-year-old.
Here are the latest developments:
- Footage requested: Investigators today asked neighbors living within a 2-mile radius of Guthrie’s home to submit any footage from doorbell cameras that includes cars and people from about four weeks before she went missing.
- 2 key days in January: Residents should keep an eye out for any footage from January 11 between 9 p.m. and midnight, and January 31 between 9:30 and 11, flagging a suspicious vehicle in the area around 10 a.m., investigators said.
- White van: Investigators have received a number of unconfirmed tips, at least one of which involves a white van, law enforcement officials with knowledge of the case told CNN.
- Search to continue: The FBI says it will continue its investigation despite heavy rain expected in Tucson tomorrow. “Bringing Nancy home is our priority,” said FBI Phoenix Public Affairs Officer Connor Hagan.
- Evidence recovered: Investigators have found multiple gloves, according to a law enforcement source. It’s unclear whether authorities believe they were worn by the person in the doorbell footage. A glove recovered by authorities was found about a mile and a half from her home, a New York Post reporter previously told CNN.
- Second note sent to TMZ: The entertainment news outlet says it received a second note this morning from a person demanding bitcoin in exchange for information on Guthrie’s alleged kidnapper. The first note was sent yesterday morning, TMZ reported. CNN has not been able to independently verify the existence or authenticity of the note.
Rain expected over Tucson Friday, potentially threatening evidence collection
A winter weather system is expected to bring showers to Tucson and southwest Arizona tomorrow, according to the National Weather Service’s Tucson office, which could raise issues for law enforcement in their search for evidence related to the dissapearance of Nancy Guthrie.
About a quarter- to a half-inch of rain is predicted in Tucson, with the potential for thunderstorms Friday afternoon and evening, the National Weather Service said.
Outdoor crime scenes are already at risk for “loss, contamination, and deleterious change of physical evidence in a relatively short period of time,” and environmental conditions like rain, snow or wind can exacerbate the issue, according to the National Institute of Justice,
“The FBI will continue our investigation regardless of weather conditions,” said FBI Phoenix Public Affairs Officer Connor Hagan, adding “Bringing Nancy home is our priority.”
CNN also reached out to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department for comment.
After chilling images found on Guthrie's doorstep camera, expert shares tips on securing your home
Cameras and home security systems — now more accessible and affordable than ever — are effective at deterring would-be burglars and home invaders, according to Joe Kuhns, a professor at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, who has researched the topic.
Kuhns, who surveyed hundreds of convicted burglars as part of the study, said if people saw that a home or business had cameras, or even just signage that there were alarms, they “tended to move on.”
“There were occasional burglars that would try to circumvent the alarm and cut the wires and cover cameras and things like that, but those were the exceptions, not the rule,” he told CNN.
Authorities released video footage from a Nest camera near the front door of Nancy Guthrie’s Arizona home, showing a person in a ski mask trying to tamper with the camera. While officials have not indicated that the situation with Guthrie was a burglary gone wrong, the images put some on edge about security around their own homes.
In addition to the use of cameras, Kuhns said making your home appear occupied is a key way to deter criminals.
Most home burglaries happen during the day when people are at work, he said. Homeowners should keep lights or the TV on or play music, Kuhns said. If people go out of town, they should have neighbors collect packages or mail, he added.
Burglaries are also most often crimes of opportunity, according to the professor. Simple things like making sure you lock your doors, windows and closing your garage can all be deterrents.
“They’re walking around looking for an easy score and so you want to have them look somewhere else or make it not easy for them, and hopefully discourage altogether,” Kuhns said.
FBI could use multiple methods to analyze DNA found on glove, law enforcement analyst says
The FBI could use multiple methods to process the glove left near Nancy Guthrie’s home for DNA, according to CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller.
“Whether it’s the people who fume it or scan it for latent fingerprints on the outside, to the people who will be looking for DNA traces on the outside, to the people who will be turning it inside out and looking for hair fiber transfers, DNA on the inside, they’re going to check this thing every possible scientific way for anything that can bring them to a clue or a person,” Miller told CNN’s Boris Sanchez this afternoon.
Investigators have recovered “several items of evidence, including gloves,” the department said Thursday afternoon.
The person connected to the DNA could have a criminal record and be in the system, Miller said, which would make it easier to identify them.
“And of course, we have to remind ourselves, there’s always a possibility that the glove has nothing to do with it, but the fact that it is found along the road, that it looks similar to the one in the video, is very promising,” he added.
TMZ says it received second note from person demanding bitcoin for information on Guthrie
TMZ says it received another note via email this morning from a person claiming to know who Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapper is and demanding bitcoin in exchange for the information.
The first note “essentially says, ‘I’ve tried to get in touch with Savannah’s brother and sister, to no avail,’” TMZ founder Harvey Levin told CNN’s Erin Burnett yesterday. “They said if they want to get the name of the individual who is involved in this kidnapping, send the bitcoin.”
The first note was sent yesterday around 8:00 a.m. ET and was also sent to the FBI, TMZ reported. A single bitcoin is currently worth around $66,000.
The second note paints a “dire situation” for Guthrie, and claims they are requesting bitcoin because they fear retaliation, Levin told CNN’s Erin Burnett today.
The FBI has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to Guthrie, up from the previous $50,000 reward at the time the notes were sent. The sender could be rewarded with money if they called authorities and provide “the information and (qualify) for the reward,” CNN’s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller said when the first note came in yesterday. “Coming at this sideways, and using the anonymity of an anonymous email and the anonymity of ‘pay me and then I’ll tell you,’ leaves no guarantee.”
CNN has not been able to independently verify the existence or authenticity of the note and previously reached out to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department for comment.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Investigators looking into a white van as one of the many tips in Guthrie disappearance
Investigators have gotten a number of leads in the Guthrie case since she went missing, at least one of which involves a white van, law enforcement officials with knowledge of the case told CNN.
The officials cautioned that it is one of many unconfirmed tips that authorities are still working their way through.
Even "well-planned offenders make mistakes," former FBI profiler says
As investigators parse through the images showing a masked person outside Nancy Guthrie’s home, some have zeroed in on specific moments in the videos released by authorities – like the use of shrubbery to try to hide the doorbell camera – to portray the person in the video as inept.
But former Senior FBI Profiler Mary Ellen O’Toole warns against leaping to this conclusion. It’s “unusual,” O’Toole said, to have the moments before a violent offender commits a crime captured on video.
“I can assure you that if we did, we would see well-planned offenders make mistakes,” O’Toole said, adding she’s more focused on the alleged suspect’s ability to regroup after encountering a hurdle.
“He was able to regroup – and not to get what we call ‘discombobulated’ – but come back and maintain control and continue on with the crime,” she said. “For me, it also goes to his ability to land on his feet in a very stressful situation.”
Investigators expand request for neighbors' home surveillance video footage
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has asked Nancy Guthrie’s neighbors to submit any video footage that includes cars, traffic, people or pedestrians, and anything they feel may be out of the ordinary or important for law enforcement to review as they investigate Guthrie’s disappearance.
Investigators have recovered “several items of evidence, including gloves,” the department said Thursday afternoon.
Remember: During a search near Guthrie’s home yesterday, a black glove was seen being taken into evidence, though it remains unclear whether authorities believe it was worn by the person seen in doorbell footage of an armed person at the 84-year-old’s front door the morning she disappeared.
An official department alert was sent via the Neighbors app to users within a 2-mile radius of Guthrie’s home, requesting that footage be submitted through their online evidence submission portal.
“The FBI is handling all aspects related to any ransom note(s) or communications involving the Guthrie family,” the department said, noting there are no scheduled news briefings today.
Meanwhile, a search warrant for Nancy Guthrie’s home has been sealed, according to the clerk of Pima County Superior Court.
"Bring her home" banner hung outside Savannah Guthrie's former news station in Tucson
A Tucson news station where Savannah Guthrie had one of her early journalism jobs has hung a banner that says “Bring her home” in support of Nancy Guthrie.
“Today, News 4 Tucson decided to hang this banner outside of our station and share our own words of support in the effort to bring Nancy home,” CNN affiliate KVOA said in a story about the banner. “We invite you to join us by coming and leaving your own supportive thoughts on it for Nancy.”
CNN spoke with a local woman who stopped by to sign the banner and leave her words of support.
“I just think it’s really important that the Guthrie family knows that Tucson supports them and not to lose hope, not to lose faith,” she said. “… I certainly hope they find her and find some resolution to this, no matter what the outcome is.”
Investigators likely searching "patchwork of video evidence," ex-Secret Service agent says
Jonathan Wackrow, a former Secret Service agent under President Obama, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that the latest request for neighbors to review their surveillance footage could lead to “a real break in the case.”
Wackrow, now a security consultant, said the specific dates noted in the request “signal that (investigators) have reason to believe that something relevant happened on that day.”
Law enforcement might be looking to see if someone surveilled Guthrie’s home prior to the kidnapping or if someone was “boundary probing” by testing to see if there were restrictions to entering the property, Wackrow said.
“They’re trying to see, ‘Was there a person there before the attack?’” he said, but added any footage shared by neighbors is not likely to yield a “smoking gun.”
“We may see a sliver of a vehicle in one video that they can then tie to another video,” Wackrow said. “This is going to be a patchwork of video evidence put together.”
But he added the request alone can also indicate “the investigation is moving forward and it’s becoming more precise.”
With old home movie, Savannah Guthrie posts tribute to missing mother
Savannah Guthrie posted a clip Thursday of an old home video and a family photo to Instagram in tribute to her mother, Nancy Guthrie, who remains missing after 12 days.
The video in the new post appears to show Savannah and her older sister Annie Guthrie – as children dressed in matching outfits – joining their mother who is sitting on a bed of flowers. The young girls smile as they hand their mother purple flowers, taking turns smelling the petals.
A photo at the end of the post seems to show Nancy flanked by all three of her children – Camron, Annie and a baby Savannah sitting in her mother’s arms.
“our lovely mom. we will never give up on her. thank you for your prayers and hope,” Savannah Guthrie wrote in the caption of the post.
This post has been updated to include additional information.
A white tent went up temporarily outside Nancy Guthrie's front door
A white tent was put in place directly outside the front door of Nancy Guthrie’s Tucson home Thursday morning before being taken down shortly afterward, according to CNN’s Leigh Waldman, who is on the ground in the area.
The tent was put up just before 8 a.m. local time. A reporter asked the investigators which agency they were with, but the men did not answer.
Investigators were also seen packing up a large black case along with other items they had brought into the home.
In addition to a Pima County Sheriff’s Department vehicle in front of the home, two additional unmarked vehicles were also parked in the driveway.
Remember: Blood stains found on the porch – which officials have confirmed belong to Guthrie – suggest ways her kidnapper may have left traces behind, a forensic expert tells CNN, giving investigators more insight into what may have transpired.
Neighbors asked to check camera footage from 2 days in January
Residents in Nancy Guthrie’s neighborhood have been asked to check their security camera footage from two days in January, according to an alert posted on the Neighbors app by Ring.
The post asks for footage, especially of cars in the area, from:
The post circulating on the app was from a neighbor, not from an official law enforcement agency account, a spokesperson for Amazon, which owns Ring, told CNN in a statement Thursday. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department verified the dates and times in the post, the department told CNN.
The FBI declined to comment due to the ongoing investigation.
The sheriff’s department has posted two “Community Requests” through the app and one public service announcement, all on February 3, Amazon said, adding official accounts on the Neighbors app will always include a blue check mark and the posting agency’s name at the top.
Guthrie was last seen at a family dinner on January 31. Since her disappearance nearly 18,000 tips have come through to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s tip line since she was reported missing February 1.
An earlier version of this post reported the request for more footage came directly from authorities.
Tips are flooding in as the search for Nancy Guthrie continues. Here’s the latest
Investigators are sifting through thousands of tips as the search for Nancy Guthrie continues for a 12th day.
It has been exactly a week since authorities briefed the media on the case, with the local sheriff’s department saying it will call a news conference “should a significant development occur.”
Here are the latest developments:
- Thousands of tips: The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said it has received over 18,000 tips since Guthrie was reported missing, with more than 4,000 of those coming in over 24 hours. Investigators are undergoing an intensive process to work through them.
- Search near Guthrie home: FBI agents were out on the roads yesterday in Catalina Foothills, north of Tucson, searching for any new evidence they could find. CNN saw agents searching the ground through thick brush and cacti.
- Glove found: A New York Post reporter witnessed agents pick up a dark glove off the side of the road, about a mile and a half from Guthrie’s home. It’s not clear if it is the same one worn by the person seen in surveillance footage from Guthrie’s doorbell camera released by the FBI.
- Footage scrutinized: Authorities are looking at the type of backpack the person in the doorbell footage was wearing. The person appears to be armed, and the “universal nylon style holster” is not the type of holster someone who regularly carries a gun would use, according to a former police captain.
- New letter: TMZ reported it received a letter from someone purporting to know who Guthrie’s kidnapper is and demanding a single bitcoin in exchange for that information. TMZ says it has handed the email note over to the FBI. There is a $50,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of Guthrie.
Former FBI Assistant Director for the Criminal Investigative Division, Chris Swecker, discussed the investigation last night with CNN’s Laura Coates.
The FBI searched area around Nancy Guthrie's home in Tucson yesterday. Here's the latest
FBI agents were seen searching the desert terrain yesterday outside Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Arizona.
FBI agents were seen searching the desert terrain outside Nancy Guthrie's home in Tucson, Arizona on Wednesday. A New York Post reporter told CNN that agents picked up and bagged a glove a short distance from Guthrie's house.
Arizona investigators say they've gotten more than 18,000 tips
Nearly 18,000 calls related to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie case have come through to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s tip line since she was reported missing February 1, the department said yesterday.
Authorities have encouraged anyone with information or tips to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, 88-CRIME or tips.fbi.gov. You can also contact the Pima County Sheriff’s office by calling 520-351-4900.
