Man detained in Guthrie kidnapping after FBI releases videos

Law enforcement in Arizona announced in this afternoon that a man has been detained for questioning in connection with the Feb. 1 disappearance of 84-year-0ld Nancy Guthrie. Guthrie is the mother of NBC news presenter Savannah Guthrie. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos made clear following Guthrie’s disappearance that she had been taken from her home in the middle of the night against her will. Blood found on the porch of the home was matched to Guthrie.

In the days since, someone claiming to be the kidnapper have sent ransom demands for Guthrie’s return via several local and national news outlets. Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have released several video appeals since their mother’s kidnapping. The family stated that they were willing to pay the ransom but requested proof that their mother was still alive.

Earlier today, FBI Director Kash Patel released several still images and video on Twitter. The images show a person wearing a ski mask, a large backpack and a holstered firearm tampering with various security cameras around Guthrie’s property. Sheriff Nanos said that some of the recording equipment was missing from the scene, which complicated efforts to retrieve any usable footage. By working with unnamed “private sector partners”, the FBI was able to retrieve some of the footage. Questions have been raised about how the data was stored since Mrs. Guthrie apparently did not subscribe to a cloud service for her home security devices.

It is not clear whether the man detained today is suspected of being the person in the footage outside Guthrie’s home.