The arrest on Tuesday came shortly after the Federal Bureau of Investigation released surveillance footage showing a masked person wearing a handgun holster standing outside Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Arizona, on the night she vanished
U.S. authorities have arrested a suspect in connection with the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of prominent television host Savannah Guthrie, whose disappearance earlier this month has captured national attention.
The arrest on Tuesday came shortly after the Federal Bureau of Investigation released surveillance footage showing a masked person wearing a handgun holster standing outside Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Arizona, on the night she vanished.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the black-and-white videos, which gave the public its first look at a possible suspect in the February 1 abduction, showed the armed individual apparently tampering with a front-door security camera at the 84-year-old’s residence.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said deputies detained a person for questioning during a traffic stop south of Tucson and, together with the FBI, were carrying out a court-authorised search in Rio Rico—about an hour’s drive from Guthrie’s home and roughly 24 kilometres north of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Authorities have said they believe the victim, who is mentally alert but has limited mobility, was taken against her will. DNA tests had earlier confirmed that blood found on her porch belonged to her, but investigators appeared to have made limited progress until the arrest and the release of the footage.
Savannah Guthrie, co-host of NBC’s Today show, shared the new images on social media, saying she and her two siblings who have indicated they are willing to pay a ransom believe their mother is still alive.
Officials have not confirmed whether ransom notes demanding money, with deadlines that have already passed, are genuine.
FBI spokesperson Connor Hagan said on Monday that the bureau was not aware of any ongoing communication between the family and suspected kidnappers, noting that digital billboards about the case had been posted in major cities from Texas to California.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has repeatedly warned that Nancy Guthrie depends on several medications, raising fears from the outset that her health could be at risk without them.
Former FBI agent Katherine Schweit told The Associated Press that the released footage was likely to generate numerous leads, even though the suspect’s face was covered.
“Even when someone appears completely concealed, they really aren’t,” she said. “You can see their build, the shape of their face, and possibly their eyes or mouth.”
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