FBI releases new suspect details in Nancy Guthrie kidnapping, doubles reward to $100,000

 February 13, 2026

The FBI on Thursday released new identifying details about the suspect in the kidnapping of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie and increased its reward to $100,000 for information leading to her recovery or the arrest and conviction of those responsible for her disappearance from her Tucson, Arizona home.

Forensic analysis of doorbell camera footage by the FBI's Operational Technology Division confirmed the suspect is a male, approximately 5'9" to 5'10" tall, with an average build. In the footage, he is wearing a black, 25-liter "Ozark Trail Hiker Pack" backpack.

As reported by the US Magazine, Nancy Guthrie, mother of NBC's Savannah Guthrie, was last seen on January 30 after having dinner with family members. When she failed to meet friends to watch a church service virtually, her family called 911 at approximately 12:03 p.m. on February 1. The Pima County Sheriff's Office dispatched patrol and initiated search and rescue protocol. Hundreds of detectives and agents are now working the case, and the FBI has collected over 13,000 tips from the public.

The surveillance footage

Two days before Thursday's announcement, FBI Director Kash Patel shared new surveillance photos taken at Nancy Guthrie's home the morning of her disappearance. The images show an armed individual who appears to have tampered with her front door camera.

"Working with our partners — as of this morning, law enforcement has uncovered these previously inaccessible new images showing an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie's front door the morning of her disappearance. Anyone with information, please contact 1-800-CALL-FBI."

That word — "previously inaccessible" — matters. It signals the FBI's forensic team pulled something usable out of footage that may have been deliberately compromised. The suspect, it appears, knew the camera was there. He acted to defeat it. The FBI recovered the images anyway.

The progression from Patel's February 10 disclosure to Thursday's detailed physical description of the suspect suggests the investigation is moving — not stalling, not cycling through procedural dead ends, but actively narrowing.

A family's plea

Savannah Guthrie has been away from her anchor chair at the Today show to be closer to her family. On February 4, she appeared alongside her siblings Annie and Camron Guthrie in an Instagram video that was direct, emotional, and unflinching.

"Our mom is a kind, faithful, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light. She is funny, spunky and clever. She has grandchildren who adore her and crowd around her and cover her with kisses. She loves fun and adventure. She is a devoted friend. She is full of kindness and knowledge. Talk to her and you'll see."

The purpose of words like these is simple: make the missing person real. Not a name in a headline. Not a case number. A grandmother who gets covered in kisses. A woman, her children still call "Mommy."

"Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. You are God's precious daughter, Nancy. We believe and know that even in this valley, He is with you. Everyone is looking for you, Mommy, everywhere. We will not rest."

After the new surveillance images were released, Savannah Guthrie posted a five-word message that carried the weight of a family refusing to grieve prematurely:

"We believe she is still alive. Bring her home."

Federal response

President Trump addressed the case on February 4 via Truth Social, pledging the full weight of federal resources:

"We are deploying all resources to get her mother home safely. The prayers of our Nation are with her and her family."

That commitment is visible in the pace of the investigation. From the initial 911 call to forensic image recovery to a named backpack brand on the suspect's back — all within two weeks. The FBI's Operational Technology Division, extracting usable details from tampered camera footage, is the kind of quiet, competent federal work that doesn't generate cable news panels but moves cases forward.

Over 13,000 tips tell you the public is engaged. The $100,000 reward tells you the FBI wants that engagement to sharpen into something actionable.

What we know — and what we don't

The details released so far paint a picture of premeditation. An armed suspect. A tampered camera. A backpack suggested he arrived on foot or wanted to appear that way. An 84-year-old woman who vanished from her home between a family dinner and a missed virtual church gathering.

What remains unclear is significant:

  • The exact timing of the surveillance footage — Patel referenced "the morning of her disappearance," but Nancy was last seen after dinner on January 30
  • Whether the armed individual in the February 10 images and the suspect described in Thursday's release are confirmed to be the same person
  • What type of weapon did the suspect carried
  • How Nancy returned home after dinner, and whether she was alone when she arrived

The FBI is using the word "kidnapping." That's not a euphemism or a hedge. It tells you where investigators believe the evidence points — not a walkaway, not a medical episode, but a crime committed against a woman in her own home.

The specific details matter

A 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack is a budget backpack sold at Walmart. That's not an incidental detail — it's the FBI telling the public: you might recognize this. Someone sold it, someone saw it, and someone may have watched this man walk through a neighborhood wearing it. The height, the build, the specific gear — these details exist to jog a memory in someone who hasn't called yet.

If you know something, the number is 1-800-CALL-FBI.

An 84-year-old woman's family is waiting. Thirteen thousand tips say the country is paying attention. The next one might be the one that brings Nancy Guthrie home.

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