Someone knows who kidnapped Nancy Guthrie, authorities say. Video likely holds key

The grainy black and white image became the center of the investigation into Nancy Guthrie.

At 1:47 a.m. on February 1, a person appears at the door of his home in Tucson. Person is wearing balaclava, gloves and backpack. The person has a gun holster placed near the waist, in front of the body, and is easily visible.

The person notices the camera on Guthrie’s front porch and attempts to cover the lens with his hand before glancing around the porch and garden area, apparently looking for something to block the camera. The individual eventually settles on some greenery in the garden.

A week has passed since these images were made public. However, authorities still do not have a suspect in the case. Two people were detained for questioning but were later released.

‘Like the Unabomber’

Still, authorities believe these images are key to solving the case.

On Sunday, the FBI said DNA found 2 miles from Guthrie’s home matched a glove worn by a masked man seen outside the home. But authorities said Tuesday that the DNA on the glove did not match anything in CODIS, the national DNA database used by law enforcement.

A video-based clue is probably investigators’ best option for solving the case quickly.

“I believe someone out there knows who he is,” Pima County sheriff Chris Nanos told the Daily Mail. “I believe that someone out there could look at that video and go, I know exactly who he is. That’s our demand on our community. If you go back in history – like cases like the Unabomber – the reason these were found out was because someone in the community, a family member, a neighbor called and said, ‘I think I know who did this.'”

Theodore Kaczynski was tracked down with the help of his brother, who read parts of the Unabomber’s manifesto and alerted authorities to his suspicions. The bomber had been targeting people for years before his manifesto was published in the Washington Post. David Kaczynski noticed similarities between the manifesto and the letters he received from his brother.

The FBI had tracked the Unabomber in vain for 18 years before he was captured in a Montana hermitage lodge in April 1996. Agents involved in the hunt said they would never have found the reclusive former math professor without David Kaczynski’s help.

I’m trying to keep your hope alive

At this point, both authorities and the Guthrie family are trying to keep hope alive more than three weeks after Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped.

“Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie posted a statement on Instagram Sunday pleading with the kidnappers.

“And I wanted to tell anyone who has it or knows where it is that it’s never too late, you’re not lost or alone, and it’s never too late to do the right thing,” he said. “We are here and we believe and we believe in the essential goodness of every human being and it is never too late.”

While there was no evidence that the 84-year-old was alive, his family expressed concerns about his health because he was kidnapped without his medication.

But the clues scattered. Nanos told CBS News that investigators believe the clothing, backpack and face mask the suspect was wearing may have been purchased at Walmart. Investigators are working with Walmart management to identify the person who purchased the backpack, the department said Tuesday.

Authorities are also testing DNA evidence found at Guthrie’s home, although the DNA on the gloves did not lead them to a suspect. The results of these tests are awaited.

Nancy Guthrie was discovered missing when she didn’t show up at a friend’s house to watch a church service. He was taken from his home without heart medication, and it’s unclear how long he could have survived without it.

The kidnapping drama has captivated the country, but there are relatively few clues.

A day after Guthrie’s disappearance, news outlets obtained the same ransom notes that investigators considered legitimate.

Sources told The Times that authorities have no evidence that the person who wrote the ransom note had Guthrie. But they also said the note seemed credible because it contained non-public details about a specific piece of damaged property and the placement of an accessory in the home.

Why do experts think video is important?

The discovery of the video was the biggest breakthrough yet.

FBI Director Kash Patel said on

Experts told The Times that even though the person was masked, it was likely that someone close to him could identify him.

“Someone is going to recognize this person. They’re going to recognize their clothes, they’re going to recognize the way they walk and the way they carry themselves. I think that’s going to be important,” said Mary Ellen O’Toole, a professor at George Mason University.

“They won’t be dressed exactly like they are here, but they will have used some of these items of clothing in everyday life,” University of Hawaii Police Chief Andrew Black said.