More experts are weighing in on the investigation into Savannah Guthrie‘s mother Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance — particularly an issue they have with an important piece of evidence.
Savannah’s former Today colleague Katie Couric spoke with retired FBI agent Kristy Kottis and 31-year FBI veteran Barbara Daly in a Katie Couric Media interview published on Thursday, February 12. When asked about the evidence so far, Kottis shared a surprising opinion about the released security footage of a masked man on the front porch of Nancy’s home in Tucson, Arizona.
“That seemed and felt like a staged video to me,” Kottis stated. “It was an individual, we don’t know whether it’s a male or female, showing us what they want us to see: head down, approaching the house, clearly, to me, wearing two sets of gloves, two sets of pants, a bulky shirt, two masks. First they’re like, ‘Head down, don’t look at me.’ Then it’s like, ‘Oops, look at me. I looked right into the camera.’ Then it’s like, ‘I’ve got a gun. I want you to think it’s a gun strapped right to the front in my crotch area.’ I’ve never seen a gun worn that way in any condition.”
Kottis was also confused by how the individual proceeded to rip up some weeds from Nancy’s yard and use them to cover the security camera. “If that was the lookout team or the team that’s supposed to do something from the front, all you do is hide your face, walk up, and cover the ring camera, rip it off the wall right then,” she stated. “So I don’t necessarily assume that individual even went into the house.”
New images in the search for Nancy Guthrie:
Over the last eight days, the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department have been working closely with our private sector partners to continue to recover any images or video footage from Nancy Guthrie’s home that may have been lost,… pic.twitter.com/z5WLgPtZpT
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) February 10, 2026
Daly, for her part, added, “It’s either the most amateurish thing ever — or it’s what someone wants us to think. It was very strange…I think it tells us something about the individual.” Daly also noted that adult kidnappings are “extremely rare,” and Nancy’s age (84) makes her case a “high-risk crime.”
“High-risk crimes like this are rarely spontaneous. There’s usually pre-planning: knowing the person’s patterns, whether there are cameras, the layout of the home, the method of egress,” she explained. “We almost never see a spur-of-the-moment [kidnapping], which is what it would look like if this person is an amateur. … Also, removing an 84-year-old woman with mobility issues from inside a house would be very difficult for one person. It would be very risky.”
Daly went on to state that it could be possible that more than one person was involved, and that the perpetrator(s) could be “someone who entered her circle at some point.” She shared, “Law enforcement may be withholding information because negotiations could be happening. There may be details only known to investigators and the abductor.”
Aside from the released security camera images and photos, authorities have yet to name any persons of interest in the case. Officials believe Nancy was taken from her home against her will and are offering a $100,000 reward to anyone with vital information about her disappearance or alleged abductors. Authorities also have not confirmed the authenticity of ransom note reports demanding millions in exchange for Nancy’s return.
On Thursday, the FBI released a description of the suspect in the security camera footage. “The suspect is described as a male, approximately 5’9′ – 5’10’ tall, with an average build. In the video, he is wearing a black, 25-liter’ Ozark Trail Hiker Pack’ backpack,” the organization shared via X. “We hope this updated description will help concentrate the public tips we are receiving.
Since February 1, 2026, the FBI has received over 13,000 public tips related to this case. Every tip is reviewed for credibility, relevance, and information that can be acted upon by law enforcement.”
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