How a $10 Walmart Gun Holster Could Crack the Nancy Guthrie Case Wide Open

The surveillance footage from the front steps of the missing mother of “TODAY” co-host Savannah Guthrie has become a focal point for investigators, particularly due to the presence of a distinctive holster. Experts believe this could lead to significant breakthroughs in the case.

According to a Miami-area police officer actively working on the case, the holster is notably inexpensive, easily recognizable, and sold at only a few retail locations. He shared his insights with Fox News Digital, hoping this information might aid in tracking down the individual responsible for Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.

In an innovative move, the FBI collaborated with Google to retrieve footage from Guthrie’s Nest doorbell camera. Although the physical camera’s whereabouts are unknown and Guthrie did not have a cloud subscription, investigators successfully recovered footage showing a masked and gloved man on her porch, where her blood was later discovered by law enforcement.

A released image from the FBI shows an armed individual seemingly tampering with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s Tucson, Arizona home on the morning she vanished, February 1, 2026. This image has been provided to assist with the ongoing investigation.

The suspect is described as having an average build and height, fully covered in clothing, and carrying a backpack. Notably, he wears a holster in an unusual manner, which could be a crucial clue in identifying him.

The officer, who asked not to be named, told Fox News Digital that the holster’s seemingly light-colored appearance is misleading since it appeared in an infrared recording. The main panel consists of a different material from the piping, he said. But the shape and other details align with a Strategy brand hip holster available at some Walmart stores for around $10. 

As of Saturday afternoon, the holster was listed as in stock at five Walmart stores in the Tucson area: 1260 E. Tucson Marketplace Blvd., 7150 E. Speedway Blvd., 7635 N. La Cholla Blvd., 1650 W. Valencia Rd., and 8280 N. Cortaro Rd., according to the retailer’s website.

A surveillance image, left, shows an unknown suspect in the Nancy Guthrie investigation with what appears to be a holstered firearm. On the right is a photo of a Strategy Large Frame Revolver Hip Holster identified by a police expert as the same holster worn by the suspect in the surveillance image. (FBI Arizona and Fox News Digital)

According to details on Walmart’s website, the water-resistant holster is designed to hold a revolver with a barrel measuring 4 to 6.5 inches. The product description states the holster is designed for right-hand use. The gun in the Nest video appears to be a Walther semiautomatic or something similar, the officer said, an unusual and distinctive pairing.

It has a distinctive shape and retention band and is not considered popular among firearms aficionados. As a result, the officer doesn’t expect that investigators will find many purchases. 

Another identifiable item the masked suspect wore on Nest doorbell camera video released by the FBI this week is also available exclusively at Walmart stores — the Ozark Trail backpack. 

An Ozark Trails backpack for sale in a Walmart store, Tucson, Arizona, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.  (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

While the backpack is common, popular and widely available, the holster was only in stock at two of more than a dozen Tucson-area stores as of Friday, according to Walmart’s online shopping site. 

“I think it is more indicative of someone who was grabbing his stuff and improvising,” said Betsy Brantner Smith, a retired police sergeant and trainer. “But I don’t think this guy was a ‘professional’ either. I think his demeanor says that he was in on the kidnapping, the home invasion, whatever it’s going to be.”

Investigators can cross-reference purchases of these two items to try to find a suspect or narrow down the pool of persons of interest.

“Probably less people bought the holster than bought the backpack,” Brantner Smith told Fox News Digital.

An FBI billboard in Albuquerque, N.M., is raising awareness about the search for missing Nancy Guthrie.  (KRQE)

Neither the Pima County Sheriff’s Department nor the FBI immediately responded to emails about the holster. 

Guthrie, 84, was taken by force out of her home in northern Tucson in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. 

There is a $100,000 reward for information that cracks the case. Dial 1-800-CALL-FBI.