The FBI released chilling photos and video footage Tuesday showing a masked, armed individual tampering with a Nest security camera outside the front door of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie — the mother of NBC "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie — who vanished from her Tucson, Arizona, home on Feb. 1. Blood was found outside the residence. Officials believe she was kidnapped or abducted.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that she and President Trump reviewed the newly released evidence immediately before the Tuesday briefing. She described his reaction in a single phrase that captured the weight of what they'd just watched:
"His initial reaction, of course, as all Americans, is just pure disgust."
According to Fox News, Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her home at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 1 — just five days after her 84th birthday. Her family reported her missing around noon the following day. She is reportedly not in good health.
Authorities have received suspected ransom notes containing two deadlines. Both have passed without payment.
The footage, recovered by the FBI from residual data located in backend systems in coordination with private sector partners, according to a statement from FBI Director Kash Patel, depicts the events of Feb. 1. It shows a masked figure — armed — approaching Nancy Guthrie's front door and apparently tampering with the Nest security camera mounted there.
That detail alone tells you something. Whoever did this knew the camera was there. Knew how to neutralize it. This was not random. This was not impulsive. An 84-year-old woman was targeted with enough planning to account for surveillance — and then she was gone.
The identity of the person in the footage remains unknown. Leavitt said she had not spoken with the president specifically about whether the individual acted alone. Officials have not elaborated on the circumstances of the disappearance.
The FBI has posted a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to a resolution.
Trump told reporters he had already called Savannah Guthrie days after her mother's disappearance to offer additional federal support. On Tuesday, he addressed the situation again:
"I think it's terrible. I'm going to call [Savannah Guthrie] later on. I think it's a terrible thing.… Very unusual situation, but we're going to find out."
It's worth noting the personal history here. Savannah Guthrie pressed Trump hard during an October 2020 NBC town hall in Miami — challenging him on his administration's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his social media reposts questioning Usama bin Laden's death. She accused him of "sending a lie" to his followers and compared him to "someone's crazy uncle."
Trump acknowledged the relationship plainly:
"I always got along very good with Savannah."
None of that history mattered when an elderly woman went missing, and her family needed help. Trump picked up the phone. He directed federal resources. He instructed his press secretary to use the White House briefing room to appeal to the public for information. That's the response of a president who understands that some things transcend politics.
The investigation is being led on the ground by the Pima County Sheriff's Department alongside state and local authorities, with the FBI assisting. The recovery of the footage itself — pulled from backend system data in coordination with private sector partners — suggests the kind of technical forensic work that happens when federal resources are fully engaged.
Leavitt made the administration's posture clear:
"Anyone who was involved in this depraved crime, this abduction, of course, we want to be seen held to the fullest extent of the law possible."
She also reiterated the human dimension that anchors all of this:
"Once again, I will reiterate that the prayers of this entire White House are with Savannah and her family at this time, and we hope this person is found soon and that her mother is brought home safely."
Beneath the footage, the federal response, and the press briefings, the core fact remains irreducible. Nancy Guthrie — a woman who turned 84 on Jan. 27 and is reportedly in poor health — has not been seen since the night of Feb. 1. Ransom deadlines have come and gone. Blood was found at the scene. An armed individual was captured on camera at her door.
The FBI is asking anyone with information to come forward. The reward stands at up to $50,000.
Every hour that passes without a break in this case is an hour that matters. The footage gave the public a face — or at least a silhouette — to look for. Now the question is whether someone out there recognizes it.