Nancy Guthrie disappearance: FBI reveals description of suspect and backpack he was wearing

Today's live blog is closing, and coverage continues on a new live blog for Feb. 13.

The FBI released a description of the suspect as a male, approximately 5’9” - 5’10” tall, with an average build wearing a black, 25-liter "Ozark Trail Hiker Pack" backpack.

A source also told Fox News Digital that the Pima County Sheriff's Department did not call the FBI to ask for assistance, and that the bureau joined the case on Feb. 2 only after asking to be involved.

Sheriff Chris Nanos had previously said, "There's no ego here. We we in this part of the country, we'll take anybody's help."

“The FBI asked Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos for physical evidence in the case, including a glove and DNA from the home of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, to be processed at the FBI's national crime laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, but Nanos has insisted instead on using a private lab in Florida," the official said.

According to the source, the FBI will likely need to re-test the evidence themselves.

A makeshift tribute set up outside the home of Nancy Guthrie continues to grow, as community members place uplifting messages and flowers at the display.

Messages written on signs or rocks were left at the display, with words such as "Please pray" and "Dear Guthrie family, your neighbors stand with you."

Several bouquets of roses were also placed at the tribute, as federal and local authorities continue the search for the abducted 84-year-old woman.

The makeshift display was first put together several days ago and has kept growing since.

A body language expert said newly revealed security footage from Nancy Guthrie's home shows the person who abducted her may be a "sociopath" familiar with the property.

The footage shows a man in a mask and dark clothing on the 84-year-old woman's property — images expert Susan Constantine said could be key to solving the case.

"He has a long torso. He’s shorter in the leg area, and then his clothes are very identifiable — the gloves, the jacket, the style, the fit," Constantine told Fox 10.

Constantine said she can tell a lot about the man from his height, weight, facial structure, eyes and the way he moves.

"Your spouse or your partner would know you from behind just because of the way you carry yourself. It’s the same thing," she said.

Constantine noted that the man was likely a "sociopath" who is familiar with the property and who could have a criminal history.

"So the fact that he showed like zero emotion even not even a thing of an eyebrow or tensing of the lip, because you would assume that that would create some sort of anxiety or attention, that he’s about ready to enter into this house completely flat line, so what does that tell me? This guy is a sociopath," Constantine said.

"It’s body language DNA. It’s evidence. The body of evidence so that doesn’t change and that’s how we catch people," she added.

The white tent placed outside missing Nancy Guthrie’s home allowed investigators to calculate the size of the individual captured on her doorbell camera, a former NYPD detective has said.

Wallace Zeins claimed investigators would also have used a tent to recreate nighttime conditions before the 84-year-old went missing.

“They wanted to get to it right away, so they can get all the facts together on that particular perpetrator and get it out to the public,” Zeins told Outfront’s Erin Burnett.

On Thursday, the white tent was erected outside the entrance of Guthrie’s Tucson home as investigators continued processing the scene.

After the tent came down, FBI Phoenix confirmed new details about a suspect.

In a statement shared on X FBI officials described the suspect as a male approximately 5 feet, 9 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches tall, with an average build.

“And they were able to get that information,” Zeins told Outfront’s Erin Burnett.

“They use a lot of laser equipment that can actually pinpoint to the centimeter what they’re looking for,” he said.

“They probably had someone stand in the height with someone that looked like the perp, and they can actually measure and actually compare even the way the person would move. They would do the same type of imagery,” he added.

A high-level FBI source tells Fox News Digital the handling of the Nancy Guthrie case has been “insane.”

The source says the Pima County Sheriff's Office never requested FBI assistance — the FBI reached out first.

Nancy went missing the night of January 31 into February 1. The FBI did not become involved until late on February 2 — and only after the bureau initiated contact, the source added.

The source also described that even when they got involved, it was “minimal” at first. “What they [Pima County] would allow,” they said.

The man accused of sending an “imposter” ransom message to the family of missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was released from custody Thursday after a court appearance in Arizona.

Derrick Callella appeared in court on one count of intent to transmit a ransom demand and one count of using a telecommunications device to anonymously abuse, threaten or harass a person.

Authorities allege Callella posed as Guthrie’s suspected abductor and demanded money.

According to the criminal complaint, Callella is alleged to have sent the demands via two text messages to a missing person’s family on Feb. 4, 2026. He is also alleged to have made a 9-second phone call to a family member, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a release.

Investigators said the message was sent moments after the Guthrie family released a video asking for proof of life.

Officers traced the internet phone line to a Gmail account registered to Callella and determined the message was sent from his Los Angeles home.

A judge ordered Callella released under multiple conditions, including no contact with any victims or witnesses and monitoring of his electronic devices.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI will continue to hold this defendant accountable and any other individuals who seek to interfere with federal investigations or profit from the victim family’s grief,” the DOJ said in a release.

An investigator was seen carrying a height board from the home of Nancy Guthrie, Thursday, as the search for the missing 84-year-old entered its 12th day.

Investigators also used a white tent for access which blocked the entrance, covering the front porch and was there for some time.

Former FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jason Pack told Fox News Digital that shielding a scene from public view can serve both investigative and legal purposes.

“You don’t want defense attorneys down the road arguing the scene was compromised because the whole world was watching,” Pack said.

A height board is a tool usually used in forensic investigations and is a specialized, calibrated tool, usually used to measure the length of long bones.

Professional video equipment was also seen being brought into the home.

Shortly after these developments, the FBI released a description of the suspect as the investigation continues.

The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Office are looking to question the man seen in a new Ring camera video recorded about five miles from Guthrie’s home, a source familiar with the investigation told Fox News Digital.

Bringing further insight, former FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jason Pack told Fox News Digital the individual in the video was identified through an extensive canvass but is not considered a suspect at this time.

“This kind of work is painstaking and laborious, but it does yield leads just like this one,” Pack said.

Pack noted that the man in the new video appears to be dressed similarly to the individual captured on Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell camera around the time of her disappearance — wearing a backpack, jeans and a shirt.

However, he cautioned against labeling the individual a suspect or person of interest at this stage.

“They are simply someone identified through the canvass who needs to be fully identified in order to determine whether there is any involvement or not,” he said.

“Every lead has to be run down, and that is exactly what investigators are doing right now,” Pack added, urging anyone who recognizes the individual to contact the FBI immediately.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has urged residents to upload surveillance video to a dedicated portal as part of the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.

Investigators are requesting a month of video from neighbors and others within a two-mile radius of East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue. Authorities are seeking footage recorded between Jan. 1, 2026 and Feb. 2, 2026, and any video showing vehicles, traffic, pedestrians or anything unusual that could be relevant to the case. To submit video click this link.

The request comes as the FBI launched a dedicated webpage on Guthrie’s disappearance, featuring case details, still images, doorbell camera footage, information about a reward as well as Guthrie's height, eye and hair color.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department said Thursday that, "There are no press briefings scheduled at this time."

"Investigators are requesting all video footage that includes vehicles, vehicle traffic, people/pedestrians, and anything neighbors deem out of the ordinary or important to our investigation from January 1, 2026 - February 2, 2026," the Sheriff's Department also said in a statement.

"An alert was just sent via Neighbors App to users within a 2-mile radius of Nancy Guthrie’s residence near East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue," it added.

A person who sent a note to TMZ yesterday claiming to know the identity of Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapper sent another message Thursday saying, “I am not being taken seriously,” the outlet reported.

The person emailed TMZ on Wednesday asking for one bitcoin in exchange for the name of Guthrie’s alleged kidnapper.

In the second message Thursday, the person claimed this is his final attempt to help in the case, according to TMZ, which added that no bitcoins have been deposited.

One of Nancy Guthrie’s neighbors told Fox News on Thursday that investigators came to her door in-person and requested video footage from Jan. 31, the day before Guthrie vanished.

The neighbor said she also received a Ring camera app alert on Wednesday.

“Investigators are now requesting video footage from January 11th between 9:00 PM and midnight regarding the Nancy Guthrie case,” the Ring alert said. “Also Saturday, January 31st between 9:30 and 11 (suspicious vehicle on Via Entrada around 10:00 AM).”

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said the Ring alert itself did not originate from PCSD, but rather from a resident who included links to the PCSD evidence submission site.

Fox News’ Sarah Alegre and Amalia Roy contributed to this report.

TMZ posted new video Thursday, taken at a home five miles from Nancy Guthrie’s house, showing a person holding a backpack that reportedly appears similar to one seen in surveillance footage released by the FBI this week.

TMZ founder Harvey Levin said the backpack that the person was holding in the new footage, which was recorded on Feb. 1 – the day Guthrie vanished – has reflective stripes like the one seen in the video clip of a masked individual that was taken outside of her home in Tucson.

“The man appears to try an open a gate at a residence and he is unable to do it, so he leaves at 1:53 a.m.,” Levin said.He cited law enforcement sources as saying the masked individual outside Guthrie’s home appeared there at 2:12 a.m.

“If the kidnapper is at Nancy’s door at 2:12 a.m., and this person in this other video five miles away left that home at 1:53 a.m., there would be 19 minutes that person has – if that person is the kidnapper, and I stress if – 19 minutes to drive five miles, put on the disguise, and walk up to Nancy’s door," Levin said.

Levin added that the FBI is actively looking into this new video.

TUCSON, Ariz.— As investigators continue to piece together the timeline surrounding Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, attention has increasingly focused on a handful of vehicles connected to the home — and a possible truck that detectives appear eager to identify.

Authorities have requested Ring doorbell footage from neighbors for two specific windows of time: Jan. 11 between 9 p.m. and midnight, and Jan. 31 between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., according to KVOA. The Jan. 11 time frame is more than three weeks before 84-year-old Guthrie was reported missing.

In recent days, detectives have canvassed nearby homes in Tucson, Arizona’s foothills, asking residents for surveillance video and inquiring about the types of vehicles they own.

"Detectives have come twice and asked us for our names and who we are and so on and what kind of cars we drive, and if we have a truck," neighbor David Romano told NBC News correspondent Liz Kreutz for TODAY on Feb. 12.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Michael Ruiz.

TUCSON, Ariz. — The FBI on Wednesday took to the streets and neighborhoods surrounding Nancy Guthrie's home to canvas for clues in her disappearance.

The federal law enforcement agency announced the search online, and asked the public to use caution.

"This morning, numerous FBI agents are conducting an extensive search along multiple roadways in the Catalina Foothills area related to the Nancy Guthrie investigation," the agency said. "We are asking the media and motorists to follow all traffic laws and to remain especially cautious when passing law enforcement personnel near the roadways."

In the afternoon, a "set" of black gloves was found about a mile and a half southeast of Guthrie's home.

"There are likely two reasons they canvassed that specific area," said retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jason Pack. "First, it represents one of the most logical routes in and out to access Nancy’s home."

"Second, there may be digital evidence that prompted investigators to focus there," he continued. "Now we need to be cautious here because we don’t yet know if the gloves that were recovered are actually connected to this case. But if they are, that’s a significant development."

Pack said more canvasses can be expected as the investigation into Guthrie's vanishing continues.

"Expect investigators to set up new canvasses expanding outward from that location, looking for additional cameras along the route from businesses, from homes, anything that may have captured movement," he said. "And they’ll be expanding the timeline backwards, looking at the hours before and after she went missing. The goal is to build a trail.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​"

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Peter D'Abrosca.

A growing online debate is adding a new twist to the alleged abduction of Nancy Guthrie, after the FBI released photos and surveillance video tied to her disappearance. Some observers have questioned whether the images and video show the same person, fueling speculation about the possibility of two different suspects.

Retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent Scott Duffy told Fox News Digital that, based on his review, the materials appear to depict the same individual. “Right off the bat, they do look like the same person,” Duffy said, adding he would be “hard pressed” to conclude the images show two different people.

Duffy explained that investigators are likely scrutinizing every visible detail — from clothing and footwear to potential logos — in an effort to narrow leads. However, he cautioned that facial recognition software alone is unlikely to definitively identify the suspect, particularly given the heavy clothing and limited image quality.

He also pointed to the suspect’s calm demeanor in the footage, noting the individual appeared to move without urgency and seemed “very comfortable” at the scene — a detail he said could be significant.

As speculation continues online, Duffy emphasized that high-profile investigations rely on layered forensic analysis, digital data and public tips — not just what appears in a single image.

This is an excerpt from Fox News Digital's Stepheny Price.

Fox News Digital has learned new details about activity at Nancy Guthrie’s home. FBI experts in video, imagery and physical science were seen carrying video forensics equipment into the tent. A prominent member of the team has worked other high-profile cases, including the Bryan Kohberger investigation.

Photos obtained by Fox News Digital appear to show investigators leaving with a diagram displaying human heights — suggesting authorities may be comparing physical conditions at the scene to Nest surveillance video in an effort to develop a suspect description.

The team is called the FBI’s “Video Forensic Analysis Unit.” This is written multiple Pelican-style hard cases that investigators took out of a Ford Expedition.

Fox News' Stepheny Price and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

Investigators took down a white tent at the entrance of Nancy Guthrie's home on Thursday, barely hours after setting it up.

Authorities made no statement about what the tent was for, but it covered the front entryway leading to Guthrie's home.

It was the same location where Guthrie's front door camera captured a suspect entering her home shortly before she disappeared.

Police have not Offered a formal update on the case as of late Thursday morning.

NBC "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie posted a video of her mother, Nancy Guthrie, to Instagram on Thursday, showing the 84-year-old mother spending time with her family.

Investigators are still trying to find Nancy after she disappeared from her home last week.

"Our lovely mom. 💛we will never give up on her. Thank you for your prayers and hope," Savannah wrote under the video.

Authorities erected a tent on the front doorstep of Nancy Guthrie's home on Thursday, drone images of the house show.

Authorities have not stated what the tent is for, but it is covering the same entrance to the house where Guthrie's door camera captured a masked suspect approaching the home prior to her abduction.

The FBI released the doorbell camera footage on Tuesday, but they have yet to release an estimated height and weight for the suspect.

So far, investigators have detained and released one individual in the case, and police say more detentions are likely in the coming days.

Authorities recovered a pair of gloves on the side of a road near Guthrie's house on Wednesday. It is now being tested for DNA.

TUCSON, Ariz. — A former FBI profiler says newly released video and forensic evidence in the Nancy Guthrie case could significantly narrow the search for a suspect and that the release of photos and videos may have "ramped up" the suspect’s stress.

Jim Clemente, a former FBI supervisory special agent and criminal profiler, told Fox News Digital that investigators are more likely to recover forensic evidence from inside the home than from outside areas exposed to the elements.

"Inside the house is much more protected. So I’m sure that’s going to reveal a lot more," Clemente said, noting that outdoor evidence such as a doormat may not yield significant DNA due to weather exposure. "Any time, any place where he spent any time — that’s where you’re going to see it."

Clemente also pointed to what appears to be a marking, possibly a tattoo, visible on the suspect’s right wrist in surveillance footage.

"That tattoo, if it is a tattoo, will be able to help them rule in and rule out people. Certainly it will help the public."

He said the suspect appears to be right-handed based on how the gun was positioned in the video.

"He revealed a tremendous amount, so he’s not a professional."

Clemente said members of the public should watch for behavioral changes in someone they know.

"The public should be looking for somebody who’s been under stress for the last several weeks — who didn’t show up for work, called in sick or bagged out of social responsibilities."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Stepheny Price.

Joe Petito, father of Gabby Petito, shared his emotional perspective on the ongoing search for Nancy Guthrie in Tucson, AZ on Thursday.

Petito joined "Fox & Friends" as the investigation into Guthrie's disappearance lengthens. The search for his daughter, Gabby, lasted roughly a month before authorities found her remains.

Petito said it can be encouraging to receive the outpouring of support when a family member is missing, but he warned that false information can spread quickly.

He said many people would simply "copy and paste" information they think is new and relevant when his daughter was missing, but he being close to the case knew it was false.

The FBI is employing Next Generation Identification (NGI) software in the Nancy Guthrie case, authorities said Thursday.

Authorities have yet to release an estimated height or weight for the suspect, despite the release of surveillance footage from outside of Guthrie's house on Tuesday. Investigators told Fox that they were working on issuing more public information, but they offered no timeline.

The NGI software compiles data about a given suspect in hopes to provide a fuller picture of their identity, relying on facial structure, body movement, eyes and other factors.

Cybersecurity expert Eric O'Neill said it allows law enforcement to take an image of a suspect and then "run it through a large database to find a potential match."

In the case of Guthrie's disappearance, NGI would focus on the distance between the suspect's eyes, their nose shape, as well as the depth and width of the suspect's face, O'Neill said.

Authorities investigating the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie have asked neighbors to share any surveillance footage dating to two specific timeframes, neighbors told KVOA.

Authorities are requesting footage from Jan. 11 between 9 p.m. and midnight, which dates to three weeks before Guthrie disappeared. Police are also requesting footage from January 31 between 9:30 and 11 a.m.

Authorities urged local residents to check their footage before it is overwritten.

“We are very worried. The neighbors are all worried, and we do not know who this kidnapper is, what he’s done with Nancy Guthrie," Marla Handler, a neighbor, told KVOA. "We don’t know what's going on, so we’re really concerned."

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI say they have received nearly 18,000 tip calls since Guthrie disappeared. The sheriff's department received 4,000 calls on Wednesday alone.

The FBI is urging anyone with information related to Guthrie’s disappearance to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos confirmed there are likely to be more detainments as authorities investigate the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie on Thursday.

Nanos made the statement to 13 News on Wednesday, saying investigators are working through thousands of tip calls and messages.

His comments came a day after authorities detained Carlos Palazuelos in connection with the case, though he was later released.

Palazuelos was detained at a traffic stop and held for several hours as his home was searched.

Nanos said they had more information leading to Palazuelos' detainment than simply a tip, though he did not elaborate on the topic.

Palazuelos told Fox News he works in Tucson delivering packages and said he had nothing to do with Guthrie’s disappearance. He said investigators questioned him about his whereabouts and took his phone before ultimately releasing him.

Palazuelos said it was a "possibility" he may have delivered a package to Guthrie’s residence. He said law enforcement showed one of his in-laws a photo of a masked person seen in surveillance footage on Guthrie’s property and that it "supposedly looked like my eyes."

"That’s it. That’s all I know," Palazuelos said.

Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report.

The Pima County Sheriff Forensic team was seen searching brush in the area near Nancy Guthrie's home early Thursday morning, according to footage obtained by Fox News Digital.

Fox News observed the team searching around 2:15 a.m. MT/ 4:15 a.m. ET in the area near the intersection of Camino Miraval and Campbell Ave., about 1.3 miles from Nancy’s house.

At least three deputies were seen searching in brush. One appeared to be taking photos. Around six deputies and four to five vehicles total were at the location, including a Pima County Sheriff's Forensic truck.

A deputy at the scene declined to tell Fox News what they were looking for or how long they had been out there. Fox News returned to the location about 30 minutes later and the deputies were gone.

Investigators found one set of gloves near Nancy Guthrie's home on Wednesday, sources told Fox News.

It's unclear if the set of gloves found are the same as the ones worn by the masked individual seen in surveillance images released by the FBI earlier this week. On Tuesday, the FBI released previously "inaccessible" footage showing an individual in a mask and gloves appearing to tamper with the camera at Nancy Guthrie's front door around the time she vanished from her Tucson, Arizona, home on Feb. 1.

Investigators are requesting that Ring doorbell camera users in the Catalina Foothills area provide footage from Jan. 11 between 9 p.m. and midnight and from the morning of Jan. 31 between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., KVOA reported. The outlet said investigators are looking into a potentially suspicious vehicle within those time frames.

A neighbor of Nancy Guthrie told how she scanned the doorbell video of a masked man outside the missing 84-year-old’s home, hoping to spot someone she recognized.

Laura Gargano, Guthrie's neighbor of 11 years, did not reveal in the interview if she recognized the person on the doorbell video.

“It’s not out of the ordinary for the same yard service to be on three or four different properties,” Gargano told CNN "OutFront" host Erin Burnett.

“I immediately went to assessing the physique of this person,” she said. “I immediately could see the physique — the size of the head, the shape of the legs, the approximate weight — just to see if he looked familiar.”

“I assumed it was a male. And I immediately started running through the list of people that I’ve worked with here,” Gargano added.

“A lot of times people share service people in the area. It's not out of the ordinary for the same yard service, to be on three or four different properties, to give referrals to your neighbors or roofers or electricians,” she said.

“I just immediately looked to see if the shape looked familiar to me and and immediately did that more so than being fearful, but also hopeful, because now we have an image to go by. So momentarily I pulled out some hope,” Gargano added.

Fox News Digital's Emma Bussey contributed to this report.