Masked suspect in Nancy Guthrie case may have visited her house before she disappeared: report

The masked man caught by a doorbell camera video, who is suspected of abducting Nancy Guthrie, is believed to have visited the octogenarian's house before her disappearance, meaning that the suspect might have planned the kidnapping beforehand, according to a new report. 

Local law enforcement and the FBI have been searching for the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie since she was reported missing after she failed to attend a virtual church service on the morning of Feb. 1.

Sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News this week that the FBI had released an image of the suspect in the 84-year-old’s disappearance at Nancy Guthrie’s front door without a backpack. The image was captured by a Nest doorbell camera before the day of the suspected abduction, according to the report. 

The images and videos of the suspect that authorities shared on social media on Feb. 10, most of which show the individual wearing a backpack, are from the day of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, the FBI said. 

In a statement this week to ABC News, Jason Pack, a former FBI agent, said if the masked man without a backpack is the same person, then "it could indicate that the person was there surveilling the place before the abduction happened."

"The fact that there was preparation and planning makes it more of a sophisticated type of criminal activity than someone just showing up," he said.

At the time of this report, authorities have yet to identify a suspect in the woman’s disappearance. 

“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,” Chris Nanos of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a Monday statement about the images.

“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,” the statement continued. “This remains an active and ongoing criminal investigation. As with any investigation, conclusions will be guided by verifiable evidence and established facts.”

“Speculation, without factual support, does not advance the investigative process,” Nanos added. 

In a video posted to her Instagram on Tuesday, Savannah Guthrie acknowledged that her mother “may already be gone.”

“But we need to know where she is. We need her to come home,” the “Today” host said. “For that reason, we are offering a family reward of up to $1 million for any information that leads us to her recovery.” 

In addition to the $1 million reward, the FBI is offering $100,000 for information, according to a Tuesday X post by the agency. 

Last week, the Pima County Sheriff's Department released a separate statement about a set of gloves found 2 miles from Nancy Guthrie's home, saying that they did not trigger a match in the national CODIS database and did not match DNA found at the property.”

“The DNA found at the property is being analyzed, and further testing needs to be done as part of the investigation,” the sheriff’s department said. 

The Pima County Sheriff's Department also announced last week that it had ruled out members of Nancy Guthrie’s family, including siblings and spouses, as suspects in her disappearance.

Two weeks after her mother’s disappearance, Savannah Guthrie said in a video on her Instagram that she and her two siblings “still have hope.”

“We still believe,” she added.

As for whoever is responsible for her mother’s disappearance, Savannah Guthrie declared, “It’s never too late, and you’re not lost or alone, and it is never too late to do the right thing.”

“We are here,” she said. “We believe in the essential goodness of every human being, and it’s never too late.”