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Video From Guthrie's Home Shows Armed, Masked Man Obstructing Camera. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired February 10, 2026 - 13:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[13:30:00]

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: -- bottom, the type of apparent ski mask that this person has on. There is that moment where he then turns you see him walking away, and you have a fairly good shot of what type of backpack that is actually there. And as you mentioned, this is something that authorities have done time immemorial, especially with the advancement of video camera technology.

They will look and see not only what type of material this is, who manufactures it? Where is it sold? How many production lots could there have been for this particular type of material? Where did it go? What stores, you know, were it shipped to? And then to try to see if, you know, especially in recent days or weeks, that someone may have purchased this material for the sole intent of just committing this one alleged crime. Same with the backpack.

A little harder with the firearm, just based on the imagery that we see there, but it will certainly be scrutinized. You know, I worked at bombing investigations and authorities would, for example, you know, they would see the remnants of a device that had been detonated and try to look at every possible ingredient in that to go back. And you would be surprised the number of times that there is a success.

You know, some hardware store out there said, yeah, we sold that component. That person looked somewhat familiar. So that is the hope right now, full crowdsource mode. Authorities want anyone to pick up the phone and, you know, call law enforcement. And then the final thing I'll just note as well, and I've been hearing from law enforcement sources who say that they've been frustrated by a lot of the speculation that's been out there on other outlets.

They say that that actually can make their job much more difficult because as these theories that people postulate, even people that used to work in law enforcement that may not have access to the case, that actually can harm the memory of someone watching that to say, well, OK, well, I saw something that doesn't really fit with that.

But surely law enforcement knows, you know, what they're dealing with here. And so that's been another thing I've heard as well, just trying to tamp down the speculations. They just want the facts, they just want anyone as insignificant as the tip might be or what you see on this video. They want to hear from you.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Yeah, important context there. Let's go to Gregg McCrary. He's a retired FBI profiler.

Gregg, when you look at this, what stands out to you?

GREGG MCCRARY, RETIRED FBI PROFILER: Well, I think there are a couple of things. And we're right, we're in the crowdsourcing mode right now. But I think the one important thing to remember or to -- for people to realize about this or to think about is that this individual's normal everyday routine will have been likely have been disrupted since the kidnapping had occurred.

His normal routine going to work, going to the coffee shop, doing whatever, highly unlikely that that has remained the same. He's got a victim to take care of. He's got to deal with all these other issues. So, all the other stuff is important about looking at him, looking at the clothing, all of that. But the other component, I think, is to also consider someone whose daily routine has been disrupted in that regard.

The other thing I would say briefly, and I don't want to over interpret the information, but the way he's carrying that handgun right down in front appears to be right in his crotch. That's not consistent with someone with law enforcement or military training. It's not how a weapon is carried. So, again, I don't want to over interpret this, but it's just something to think about as well.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Yeah, that's a very interesting point, Gregg. We are going to take a quick break. A very important video that we are seeing here, along with still images from this video released by the FBI from Nancy Guthrie's home, from the camera at the front of her house on the night of her abduction.

We are seeing this 10 days now after she was taken. We'll have much more analysis right after this.

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[13:38:21]

SANCHEZ: We're continuing to follow Breaking News this afternoon. This video from outside Nancy Guthrie's home shows an armed, masked person trying to obstruct her ring video camera. It appears that this person is armed and had to some degree planned this kidnapping. Let's go live to Ed Lavandera, who's there for us in Tucson.

Ed, what is the latest that you're hearing?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, we can kind of like point you out, exactly. I think I'd probably look this way here. But you see the video that you're -- we've been showing is, if you look just beyond the agave plants here, you'll see just the curvature of the brick. That is the entrance to the home there. And that is the spot where these video images and these still images that the FBI has released today is coming from.

And this is also the spot where from the very beginning, investigators here in Tucson have been saying that there was a -- we knew that there was a camera there at that front door. We knew that it has -- it was taken. It was missing.

So it is fascinating to see these videos now emerge because it shows that the initial sequence of events and this is all about 1:45 a.m. Sunday morning. Nancy Guthrie has just come home the night before from having dinner and playing cards with a family here in Tucson, just before 10. So that's eleven -- almost four hours after she had been here at her home.

And then this man emerges on her front doorstep. And in that video, you can see him go back. Then he picks up what appears to be some sort of shrubbery off the ground and then try to cover the camera.

[13:40:00]

But at some point, he abandons that because investigators have told us that that camera is gone. It's missing. They do not have it in its possession. There are other cameras inside -- on the property, but presumably inside the home that also we understand detected a person. Now, whether or not they are -- clearly, they're probably trying to do the same kind of process that they're doing -- that they've done with this camera.

So it is stunning that they have been able because I think it kind of speaks to the technological challenge that investigators have been facing here in all of this because this is 10 days, it has taken to get those images resurrected from this electronic system here and all of that unfolding here this afternoon.

But this is a massive, a massive break, a massive lead that could lead them to uncover more videos and other key information in other parts of the city here as well. Boris?

KEILAR: All right, Ed. And stay with us, if you will. I want to bring in Josh Campbell to talk about a new video just posted by the FBI director. This is the old one that we're looking at here. Here's the new one, Josh. And this is significant because you're seeing the walk up of this individual, the sort of the beginning of everything that we have thus seen, which also makes you wonder if at all this person had been casing the house before and understood that there was a camera.

But also, Josh, just speak to the importance of seeing someone walking and how that could really be instrumental in this pivotal moment.

CAMPBELL: Yeah, all of us, you know, people who are in our lives that we know well, we pick up on things like that. You know, how does this individual walk? Is it a unique, you know, a gait that they have that now people are maybe seeing on the screen here? As in that new video, you see this person coming there toward the house. It appears that he had some type of perhaps a flashlight in his mouth in order to illuminate where he was going.

Hard to interpret, you know, kind of his hunched demeanor there. He could be making that step there onto the porch. But, you know, as much as people might try to obscure or hide their gait, it's one of the characteristics of ourselves that is often difficult to do. And so, all of this image coming out, this is done purposely by the FBI and local law enforcement there to try to get people to put eyes on this and see, you know, oh, that's someone I know. They walk like that. Maybe they have items of clothing on them that I know that person owns or perhaps, you know, was recently purchased.

The backpack looks familiar, things like that, just to trying to trigger any type of memory that they possibly can. And as I was mentioning earlier, even people who may not know the suspect, law enforcement will want to question them. They'll go through this meticulous process of trying to identify every single item that that person has on them, the clothing, the gloves, the face mask, to see where those items were sold.

It is not uncommon in these types of cases for law enforcement to then go back and do that meticulous work of, once you identify where an item may have been sold, to try to canvas the employees there, to ask them, did you recognize someone who looks like the person in this image actually coming in to make a purchase? Obviously, a lot more difficult now with online retail stores.

But we have seen that in the past that sometimes that is a critical clue as well. Authorities will want to pick up on. And then the last point I will note and one of our colleagues, a former FBI profiler, had mentioned this just a short time ago, which is so important. We're working on a timeline here. Authorities don't just want people to look at this person and say, yeah, I might know that person.

But there are other items that can be gleaned, and that is looking at the start, when this alleged abduction actually took place there on between Saturday and Sunday night. If someone does have Ms. Guthrie in custody right now, that is someone that would presumably not be in contact or around people that maybe they were on any given day. And so, it's not just I recognize this person, but someone I know is no longer home or I can't get in contact with them.

All of that, even the most minuscule clue right now could be beneficial for the police.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, no doubt. Let's go back to Jake Tapper. Jake, this latest new video, only the most recent bit of footage that FBI Director, Kash Patel has put out. What are you hearing from your sources about what may come next?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, THE LEAD: Well, it's important to look at this video right now because this video, it's just a three- or four- second clip, but it suggests -- you see the individual's gait. You see how he or she is walking. You also see that the person is trying to avoid seemingly the nest camera. So he or she might know that that camera is there, despite the questions we had from the earlier videos. We should point out this is a remarkable amount of evidence.

[13:45:00]

This is three videos and six still photographs of the suspect who kidnapped Nancy Guthrie nine or 10 days ago in the early mornings of Sunday, February 1st. And up until this moment, the Guthrie family, the FBI, and the Pima County sheriff had really very little to go on. It is still unclear whether those ransom notes sent to local TV stations and TMZ are legitimate.

It is still unclear whether or not those are from the individuals or individual who abducted Nancy Guthrie. But this is very clearly the suspect in Nancy Guthrie's disappearance. This is in the early -- the footage that they were able to recover -- I'm sorry, I thought you said something, Brianna.

The footage that they were able to recover that they thought had been lost because the camera was taken is remarkable. And as we've noted, it is with less imagery than this that the public has been able, the law enforcement has been able to crowdsource from the public, information that is left to -- that led to the capture of the alleged killers of the UnitedHealthcare CEO and the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

And this is a tremendous amount of information, not only what the individual, what their gait is, what their build is, clothing that they're wearing, but also how they move. And obviously, Savannah Guthrie, the FBI, and the Pima County sheriff are making a direct appeal to the public. Somebody knows who this is. Somebody recognizes who this is. And that information -- and that information is going to be very significant going forward.

KEILAR: Yeah, this is no doubt, Jake, a pivotal moment, right? We've seen it before in other cases, and it is very rare that you see the release of video like this where there are no doubt identifying things about this person, and it does not lead to something. This obviously is everywhere. Everyone is going to see this. I do want to, if you can stand by, Jake, let's listen in to White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt talking about this just moments ago at the White House press briefing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you. Thank you for coming today. I apologize for the delay. I was once again with the president. He and I were both reviewing the newly released surveillance footage from FBI in the Savannah Guthrie case on just this heartbreaking situation with respect to her mother.

The president encourages any American across the country with any knowledge of this suspect to please call the FBI, who continue to assist state and local authorities who are leading this investigation on the ground. And 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[13:52:23]

SANCHEZ: Breaking news to CNN. The FBI and the family of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie, want you to look at this video, these images right now that were taken from a doorbell camera just outside her home the morning that she went missing.

We have a panel of experts to discuss what we're seeing here in this footage. Someone who appears to be wearing a ski mask, armed outside her home shortly before she went missing. Let's bring in Gregg McCrary and Josh Schirard.

Gregg, as a retired FBI profiler, I wonder when we look at the newest video that was put out by FBI Director, Kash Patel, and you see the subject moving toward the home, it may be tough to get a sense of their gait, of their natural movement, because their head is down. But does that imply to you that this person was aware that there was a camera, that they had perhaps been there before?

MCCRARY: Yes. And keep in mind, this is a targeted crime. This is not a random crime of opportunity. So there's pre-planning that went into this. He pre-selected her for whatever reason, we're not sure. But that would mean the pre-planning, casing the place, understanding the physical scene, scenario, making sure she was home when he showed up. Of course, at that time of the night is a pretty good chance.

But the important thing, then, that leads into new leads would be making sure to review videos around that area in the days or even weeks prior to this event, because likelihood that he would have been there, and in surrounding stores and things like that, that he may well have been there unmasked. And that may be, you know, obviously would be a huge step forward if that's the case.

So -- and looking at that and any previous contact also with the victim, it could be unwanted approaches, strange emails, phone calls, anything like that that may give a sense of having this pre-approach behavior, pre-selection in some way. So, all that has to be considered.

KEILAR: And Gregg, when you're talking about this being targeted and this being pre-planned, is there sort of a modus operandi for that, that you can speak to?

[13:55:00]

I mean, we've talked with you a little bit about, if someone's looking for this individual right now, they should perhaps be looking for someone who, certainly in the aftermath of Nancy Guthrie's disappearance or even now, is not going about their daily routine. What about the beforehand part of this?

MCCRARY: Yes, exactly. And that's kind of what I was referring to, this pre-planning that went into this. So, this didn't just happen. So, he may have been gathering this material, getting what he thought he needed. He's got to have a place to take her. So he can't be taking her home to a family or other people. So he has some place that he either has or has pre-selected that he can take her where he's not worried about being interrupted or seeing that he could keep her there. But again, that's why he -- his pattern has been so disrupted, because this is all consuming to him now. This is -- he's pulled the trigger on this plan. It's activated. It's underway. And that's totally consumed him at this point. So, all of that has to be taken into consideration.

SANCHEZ: Really interesting perspective. Let's go to Josh Schirard, a former SWAT Team Commander. Josh, when we were speaking to Gregg a moment ago, he was pointing out the holster holding what appears to be a weapon at the front of this subject's person is not typically where you would see a gun being placed by someone who's had extensive law enforcement or military training.

And obviously, this is parsing what we're seeing in this footage. We don't necessarily have information. But at this hour of desperation, you imagine that investigators are looking at every possible angle. Does that coincide with how you're seeing these images and where that person has the weapon?

JOSH SCHIRARD, FORMER SWAT TEAM COMMANDER: Yeah, not only the way that he's carrying the weapon, but the holster in general in itself seems like a very universal nylon-style holster, which is really not something that any kind of professional, anybody that's a pro shooter or just anybody that really carries a gun on a regular basis probably would use for that purpose.

You know, there's so many holsters out there that they would have that would be purpose built and driven for concealed carry. This seems more like a very cheap off-the-shelf holster that somebody just stores their gun in. It just happens to have a belt loop on the back of it that they thought that they could throw on.

And then, of course, the position as well. I mean, appendix carry is one of the more popular ones, but this is definitely not that style. And so, we have to think of why was it carried like this? Was it out of convenience? Obviously, the intent wasn't to conceal it. So, was the intent to make sure it was displayed in order to be threatening when he went into that house or to be quickly accessed when he went into that house, or in case anyone came across him?

Obviously, if you were to come across him on the street, there's no guessing. It's very, very clear on what his intent was to do that night, was to be very, very (inaudible) and do someone harm. So, was he prepared to cause harm to someone else that tried to impede his progress into this house?

SANCHEZ: Wow, an important question to keep in mind. A new hour of "CNN News Central" starts after a quick break. Stay with us.

And if you recognize anything in the images that you're seeing, please call that tip line on your screen. 1-800-CALL-FBI. We'll be right back.

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