Mumbai, February 12: Federal investigators have shifted their focus to a newly discovered surveillance video that may place a key subject near the home of Nancy Guthrie just minutes before her disappearance. The footage, recorded approximately five miles from Guthrie's residence, has become a "critical" lead for the FBI as they attempt to reconcile a narrow 19-minute window between the sighting and the suspected abduction.

Timing and Proximity of the New Evidence to the Nancy Guthrie Case

The video, captured by a resident's Ring camera at 1:52 AM, shows a man attempting to enter a locked gate. According to law enforcement sources, the individual is seen wearing one backpack and carrying a second. Nancy Guthrie Missing Case: FBI Searches Desert Terrain for Clues in Savannah Guthrie’s Mother’s Disappearance.

New Video Shows Man With Similar Backpack Before Nancy Guthrie's Alleged Kidnapping

This sighting occurred just five minutes after Nancy Guthrie’s own Nest camera was disconnected at 1:47 AM. While the suspect was recorded five miles away at 1:52 AM, a subsequent motion detection at Guthrie's home at 2:12 AM suggests that if this individual is the kidnapper, they would have had exactly 19 minutes to travel the distance, change into a disguise, and approach the front door.

New Images Appear in the Search for Nancy Guthrie, Says Kash Patel

The 'Ozark Trail' Connection

A pivotal piece of forensic evidence linking the two videos involves the gear worn by the subject. Authorities have confirmed that the backpack seen on the intruder at Guthrie’s home is a Walmart Ozark Trail Hiker model.

Investigators noted that the backpack carried by the man in the 1:52 AM video features reflective straps. These markings appear consistent with those seen on the armed, masked individual captured on Guthrie's porch later that morning. It remains under investigation whether the reflectors are located on the shoulder straps or the side of the bag, but the similarity has led the FBI to "laser in" on this specific subject.

Technical Breakthroughs in Recovered Footage

The search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, has been hampered by a lack of direct cloud storage. Because Guthrie did not have an active subscription for her security system, investigators had to work with private sector partners to recover "residual data" from back-end systems. The recovered footage shows a masked individual, reportedly armed with a handgun, using prairie brush to cover the camera lens. Former FBI officials have noted that while the subject took extensive measures to hide their face, their gait and specific clothing items - particularly the dual backpacks - provide a distinct profile for identification. Nancy Guthrie Missing Case: TMZ Founder Harvey Levin Receives 3rd Letter Claiming To Know Kidnapper of Savannah Guthrie’s Mother.

Current Status of the Search for Nancy Guthrie

The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department continue to treat the case as a kidnapping following the discovery of blood matching Nancy Guthrie's DNA on her front porch. While a man was recently detained for questioning south of Tucson, he was released without charges on February 11. The FBI is currently canvassing the Catalina Foothills area and urging residents to review any doorbell or security footage from the early morning hours of February 1. A USD 50,000 reward remains active for information leading to Guthrie’s recovery.

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TruLY Score 3 – Believable; Needs Further Research | On a Trust Scale of 0-5 this article has scored 3 on LatestLY, this article appears believable but may need additional verification. It is based on reporting from news websites or verified journalists (TMZ), but lacks supporting official confirmation. Readers are advised to treat the information as credible but continue to follow up for updates or confirmations

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 12, 2026 11:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).