The masked man who was seen in surveillance photos and videos amid the search for Nancy Guthrie appears to have been at the 84-year-old’s front door earlier than February 1, the night cops believe she was abducted, sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News. The sources added that one of the images released by the FBI, showing the person at Nancy’s front door without a backpack, was captured by her Nest doorbell camera on a day before her suspected kidnapping.
The FBI said that the photos of the man with the backpack on are from “the morning of her disappearance,” Sunday, February 1. This is the day Nancy failed to show up to watch a virtual church service.
The sources said that according to one of the theories, the suspect approached the door the first time, and was scared off when he noticed the camera. However, he returned later, which is when he is seen tampering with the device and putting branches in front of the lens.
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NewsNation’s Brian Entin shared a collage of two photos, writing on X, “These two photos of the Nancy Guthrie suspect were taken on different days, sources confirm to me and @LibbeyDean_ – indicating the suspect appears to have visited Guthrie’s house before the kidnapping.”
Jason Pack, a former FBI agent, told ABC News that if it was the same individual, “it could indicate that the person was there surveilling the place before the abduction happened.”
“The fact that there was preparation and planning, which makes it more of a sophisticated type of criminal activity than someone just showing up,” he added.
What the surveillance videos and photos showed
The black-and-white photos and clips show a person wearing gloves, a mask, khakis, sneakers and a backpack, appearing to tamper with the camera at Nancy’s front door on the morning she went missing. One of the videos shows the person walking up to the door with their head down. The individual’s eyes are visible through holes in their mask.
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Meanwhile, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos recently said that he believes Nancy is being held locally. “I don’t know why. I don’t have any evidence to prove that, but I just believe she’s somewhere here locally,” he told the BBC on Wednesday, February 18.
However, officials still do not have suspects or a list of names, said Nanos.