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Authorities have made significant progress in the investigation of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, with the FBI reportedly in possession of names and photographs of individuals resembling the masked figure seen on surveillance footage outside her residence.
Guthrie, an 84-year-old woman, was last seen on January 31, and investigators suspect she was abducted during the early hours of February 1.
The initial investigation faced challenges, as Guthrie vanished seemingly without a trace. Detectives initially focused on bloodstains found on her front door and a disabled security camera as potential leads.
A breakthrough occurred on February 10 when the FBI recovered previously missing surveillance footage. This footage captured a masked person approaching Guthrie’s home on the night of her disappearance.
According to a report by CBS News, the FBI has now identified individuals who match the description of the mysterious figure captured on video.
The eerie footage shows what authorities believe is a man disabling Nancy’s camera. The suspect was also carrying what appears to be a gun in a holster.
Local business and gun shop owners told CBS that authorities have asked them if they recognize any names and faces that could potentially be the suspect.
One gun shop owner told the outlet that he received a packet from law enforcement with photos of driver’s licenses and pictures from social media.
Nancy Guthrie, right, has been missing for 18 days in what authorities are investigating as a kidnapping. Her daughter, Today show host Savannah Guthrie, left, has publicly pleaded in video messages for Nancy’s alleged captor to return her safely
FBI Director Kash Patel said on February 10 that investigators uncovered footage of a masked individual approaching Nancy’s home in the early hours of her disappearance
The eerie video footage depicted a masked individual, believed to be a man, disabling Nancy’s front door camera the night she vanished
The gun shop owner told authorities that he didn’t recognize any of the names or faces. He searched the company’s purchase history for names, but no leads came of it.
Philip Martin, the co-owner of Armor Bearer Arms, told local CBS affiliate, KOLD, that an FBI agent visited his shop sometime between February 10 and 12.
Martin said he received a packet of between 18 and 24 images and names to check if any had purchased a gun at his store in the last year.
He searched the company database but didn’t find any matches. The FBI agent didn’t disclose what the names were regarding, but Martin told KOLD he believed they matched the suspect’s description.
‘Based on that video I saw of the kidnapper at the house who was caught on camera — the facial hair that I saw on the video reminds me a lot of these photographs,’ Martin told KOLD.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told Fox News that investigators haven’t narrowed their search down to a specific group.
When asked whether authorities have identified around 40 people as potential suspects, Nanos replied that those claims were false.
‘We haven’t narrowed it down to anything other than we have pieces of evidence that we’re looking at to try to find this individual,’ the sheriff added.
Authorities believe that Nancy was kidnapped from her home in the early hours of February 1. Investigators have followed multiple leads but none have lead to any arrests. Nancy is pictured with her daughter, Savannah, in a photo from 2020
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos denied reports that authorities have narrowed down their search to a pool of potential suspects. He’s pictured above in an interview with Reuters on February 13
The FBI said the suspect was believed to be male, approximately 5’9”-5’10” tall, of average build, and carrying a black backpack.
The sheriff’s office said in an update on Wednesday that they were currently analyzing biological evidence found at Nancy’s residence.
The number of DNA profiles under lab analysis wasn’t disclosed. Police sources told the New York Post that authorities also uncovered new DNA evidence during a recent search of Nancy’s home that doesn’t belong to her.
Authorities also shared on Wednesday that the reward for information leading to Nancy’s return or her captor’s arrest had increased to $202,500.
An anonymous donation of $100,000 was added to the reward pool, in addition to $2,500 from 88 Crime and the $100,000 put up by the FBI.
Attorney and President of Milwaukee Crime Stoppers, Michael Hupy, previously announced that he would be offering $100,000 through his organization.
The investigation is led by the Pima County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI. Police vehicles are pictured on Tuesday in Nancy’s Tucson neighborhood
Reports on Wednesday revealed that law enforcement may have obtained new DNA evidence during a search of Nancy’s home. Pictured above are deputies outside her residence on Sunday
The sheriff’s department hasn’t confirmed whether Hupy is the ‘anonymous donor’ who donated the additional $100,000.
TMZ and two local Arizona news stations have received several ransom notes allegedly from Nancy’s captors.
The news outlets have reported that the notes demanded millions in Bitcoin. TMZ shared on Wednesday that they received another demand, calling the note ‘sophisticated,’ adding it ‘puts the media right in the middle of it.’
The letter reportedly demanded $6 million in a different form of cryptocurrency and ‘graphically describes the consequences if the ransom isn’t paid,’ the outlet stated.
False hope for a break in the case came on Saturday when a Special Weapons and Tactics team raided a home near Nancy’s residence.
Authorities were also seen searching a grey Range Rover and detained the driver. Multiple individuals were detained and questioned, but no arrests were made.
Savanah and her siblings have issued multiple public pleas for information leading to their mother’s safe return. Savannah and Nancy are pictured here in a photo from 2021
Another brief glimmer of hope came when law enforcement recovered a glove near Nancy’s property that appeared to match the ones the suspect was wearing in the surveillance video.
However, Sheriff Nanos said the glove yielded no new leads and failed to match the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a national database of DNA profiles of arrestees.
Nanos has previously said that the investigation could take years, but authorities wouldn’t stop trying to find answers for the Guthrie family.
When asked whether he still believed Nancy was alive, Nanos said on Tuesday: ‘They ask me, do I have proof of life? I ask them, is there proof of death?’