TUCSON, Ariz. — One of Nancy Guthrie’s Nest doorbell camera images released by the FBI was taken on a different date than the others, a source with knowledge of the investigation confirmed to Fox News Digital Monday.
The new details indicate the masked suspect scouted the home in advance of the 84-year-old Guthrie’s suspected abduction on Feb. 1.
The source declined to specify what day the earlier image was taken, citing the active investigation.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos tells Fox News that the information did not come from him.
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Authorities have alternately asked for neighbors to check their home security systems for the entire month of January, the night of Jan. 11, and the hours surrounding Guthrie’s disappearance, between Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.
The suspected scouting visit was first reported by ABC News, citing unnamed sources.
Retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jason Pack told Fox News Digital that the suspect casing the home reveals that the crime wasn’t impulsive, and that it took planning.
“That’s sophistication. That’s the hallmark of someone who thought about this before they acted. And it matters significantly from a legal standpoint, because premeditation and planning elevate the severity of what investigators are looking at,” Pack said. “The suspect in this case may have thought they were being careful. But appearing twice on camera while trying to avoid identification isn’t careful. That’s exposure. And right now, investigators are working very hard to close that gap.”
The revelation also indicated that whatever data the FBI and Google accessed to recover the missing video included more than just the final event in her camera’s memory.
Guthrie’s doorbell camera disconnected at 1:47 a.m. on the night she was taken, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. At 2:12 a.m., one of her cameras registered a person but did not record the event.
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The PCSD initially deferred comment to the FBI. Then, after this article was published, the PCSD issued a statement emphasizing that authorities have not released timestamps on the Nest video.
“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,” the PCSD said in a statement. “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 FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Experts had questioned whether the masked figure was the same person, partly due to differences in his clothing as well as the more obvious lack of a backpack and holstered gun.
Guthrie is the mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie.
Anyone with information that could crack the case is asked to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Fox News’ Matt Finn contributed to this report.
