Nancy Guthrie Mystery: Pima County Sheriff Dismisses Theory Suspect Visited Home Twice

Pima County's sheriff has pushed back against claims that a masked suspect captured on Nancy Guthrie's doorbell camera may have visited her Tucson home on two different days before her suspected abduction on 1 February.

A source with knowledge of the investigation told Fox News Digital that one of the Nest doorbell images released by the FBI was recorded on a different date from the others, suggesting the suspect may have scouted the property in advance.

However, Sheriff Chris Nanos said the information did not come from his office, and his department later described any such conclusions as 'purely speculative'.

Authorities in Arizona are trying to piece together what happened to Guthrie, 84, who is the mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie and has been missing for more than three weeks. Detectives are working with the FBI and have appealed repeatedly for footage from neighbours' security cameras to help establish the suspect's movements.

Conflicting Accounts Over Doorbell Images

The unnamed source cited by Fox News Digital on Monday declined to say exactly when the earlier image was recorded, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation. ABC News had previously reported, also citing unnamed sources, that the armed suspect appeared on Guthrie's porch on more than one occasion.

Images released by the FBI show a masked individual on the 84-year-old's front step, including one frame in which the person appears to be tampering with the camera.

In some images, the suspect is wearing a backpack and a holstered gun; in others, those items appear absent.

A spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff's Department (PCSD) said differences in the suspect's attire were known to investigators, but insisted there were no official timestamps on the stills made public.

'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,' the PCSD said in a written statement. '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.'

More Suspicions on Doorbell Snapshots

The FBI has not publicly confirmed whether any of the images were captured on separate dates and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to the sheriff's department, Guthrie's doorbell camera went offline at 1:47am on the morning she vanished. At 2:12am, another of her cameras registered that a person was present but did not successfully record the event.

Retired FBI supervisory special agent Jason Pack told Fox News Digital that, if confirmed, an earlier scouting visit would indicate planning rather than a spontaneous crime.

'That's sophistication. That's the hallmark of someone who thought about this before they acted. And it matters significantly from a legal standpoint, because premeditation and planning elevate the severity of what investigators are looking at,' he said.

'The suspect in this case may have thought they were being careful. But appearing twice on camera while trying to avoid identification isn't careful. That's exposure. And right now, investigators are working very hard to close that gap,' he added

Investigators Focus On Nancy Guthrie Timeline And Public's Help

Detectives have asked residents in the area to review home security footage from different time periods, including the entire month of January, the night of 11 January and the hours surrounding the disappearance between 31 January and 1 February. The aim is to identify any sightings of the suspect or suspicious activity near Guthrie's home.

Experts cited in US media reports have also questioned whether the masked figure seen in the various FBI images is the same individual, pointing to changes in clothing and the absence, in some frames, of both a backpack and holstered firearm. No alternative suspect has been officially named.

The FBI has released short clips of doorbell video, along with still images, and has urged anyone with relevant information to come forward.

Guthrie, who lives in Tucson, has not been seen since the early hours of 1 February. Her disappearance has attracted national attention in the US due to her daughter's high-profile role on NBC's Today programme, though investigators have not suggested any link between her media connections and the crime.

Members of the public with any information that could assist the investigation are being asked to contact the FBI on 1-800-CALL-FBI.