People Suggest New Theory About Person in Surveillance Footage Shared in Search for Nancy Guthrie

Surveillance images and a clip released this week have set off a storm of speculation, with sharp-eyed viewers convinced they spotted something investigators may have missed.

On February 10, 2026, FBI Director Kash Patel shared images and a video pulled from Nancy Guthrie's porch camera, capturing a masked figure at her front door the morning she vanished.

The stills were recovered after days of technical work, but what they appear to show has only deepened the mystery. As the footage spread online, attention quickly shifted to one unexpected detail.

Recovered Footage Raises Questions

In a statement posted on social media, Patel announced what he called "New images in the search for Nancy Guthrie," explaining that federal agents and the Pima County Sheriff's Department had worked for eight days with private sector partners to retrieve lost or corrupted data.

The FBI director explained that investigators retrieved the video from leftover data within backend systems once the recording hardware had been taken away.

The newly uncovered frames show "an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie's front door the morning of her disappearance."

The footage itself was also shared publicly and shows the masked person appearing to be adjusting or interfering with the system.

At first glance, the figure is dressed in dark clothing, wearing gloves and a mask. But it was not the outfit that caught the internet's attention.

It was the eyes.

As screenshots circulated, amateur sleuths zoomed in on the upper half of the masked face. And suddenly, timelines filled with one recurring question.

Who exactly is under that mask?

Some were convinced they were looking at more than just a generic disguise. They pointed to the eyebrows and eyelashes, claiming the shape looked distinctly feminine.

One person wrote, "Now who is this perpetrator? Is it a woman? Those eyebrows look perfectly arched! #NancyGuthrie."

Another posted, "I just saw the pictures that they're showing for Nancy Guthrie to me. It looks like a woman look at the eyebrows."

A different commenter added, "These look like woman's eyes, seems like the eyebrows are very well shaped and eyelashes look kinda curly… #NancyGuthrieKidnapping."

Someone else declared, "This is the face of a female. Nancy Guthrie was taken by this woman." Even on Facebook, the speculation continued. One comment read, "Looks like a womans eyebrows [sic]."

But investigators were already looking at the suspect from a very different angle.

What Authorities Are Saying

While social media buzzed with theories, several national media outlets reported on February 12, that an unnamed source claimed Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos was blocking the FBI from accessing key evidence in the case.

The sheriff firmly denied those allegations in an interview with 13 News' Mary Coleman. He stated that it was not true and explained that the Pima County Sheriff's Department wants all evidence sent to the same lab for testing, specifically DNA Labs International in Florida.

According to Sheriff Nanos, during a Thursday meeting with federal agents, one of them told him, "We do not want the media to divide us."

At the same time, authorities revealed more concrete details about the suspect seen in the video. And those details directly contradict the viral theory.

A Different Description Emerges

The FBI has identified the suspect as a man between 5-foot-9 and 5-foot-10 with an average build.

Authorities also pointed out that the person in the surveillance video carried a black Ozark Trail Hiker Pack with a 25-liter capacity. Walmart sells this specific backpack for under $11.

Authorities have since increased the reward to $100,000 for information leading to progress in the case. And while Sheriff Nanos confirmed there are still no signs of the victim, he did say investigators have "good leads."

A Daughter's Reaction

Shortly after law enforcement made them public, Nancy's daughter, Savannah Guthrie, shared the same surveillance images on her Instagram page.

"We believe she is still alive. Bring her home," she wrote. "Anyone with information, please contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Pima County Sheriff's Department 520-351-4900."

In a separate post that included video from the front door camera, she emphasized, "Someone out there recognizes this person." In that same message, she reiterated her belief that her mother is still alive and renewed her appeal to help ensure her safe return.

Critical Evidence Pulled from Desert Brush

Meanwhile, a newly recovered item may hold the key to solving Nancy's disappearance. The evidence in question was pulled from desert brush near the 84-year-old woman's Tucson home. On its own, it could represent a major breakthrough.

FBI Evidence Response team members recently recovered a piece of physical evidence from low desert shrubbery roughly one and a half miles from Nancy's secluded residence at the edge of Tucson. Agents photographed the item as they pulled it from the brush.

The discovery could represent the most significant physical clue yet. The recovered item is a black glove that closely matches the type worn by the armed perpetrator visible in surveillance footage.

For investigators hunting Nancy's abductor, the glove offers potential DNA evidence, fingerprints, or other forensic traces.

A Notification With No Proof

Before investigators were able to recover the masked figure from backend systems, authorities had acknowledged that a key piece of surveillance footage from the night Nancy disappeared appeared to be gone.

During a press conference on February 5, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos revealed that Nancy's doorbell camera disconnected around 1:47 a.m. on Sunday. Less than half an hour later, something unexpected happened.

"At 2:12 a.m. [local time], software detects a person on a camera, but there's no video available," Sheriff Nanos said, as reported by Page Six.

That alert fell within the window that investigators believe Nancy was taken from her bed. But when detectives tried to pull the footage, there was nothing to review.

Why the Footage Was Gone

"They had no subscription and therefore it would rewrite itself," the sheriff continued. "It just kind of loops and covers up. That's what our analysis teams have told us."

Without video, investigators were left uncertain about what triggered the alert. The movement could have been an animal. Despite their efforts at the time, authorities initially had no way to recover the clips from Nancy's house.

One Last Attempt

Officials did attempt to salvage something from the device. Sheriff Nanos later told CNN that investigators sent what data they could to an outside company, but it led nowhere.

But he stressed at the time that they were still working on it. "We're not done with our efforts in that," he added, while also confirming that authorities were exploring other places where the camera could be sent. The brand of the item itself had not been revealed yet.

A Timeline That Keeps Tightening

The security alert was not the only technology to go silent that night. Nancy's pacemaker disconnected from her phone app around 2:28 a.m. on February 1, just minutes after movement was detected.

By Sunday morning, concern deepened when Nancy failed to attend church. Her family checked on her home around 11:56 a.m., and police were called shortly after.

Officers arrived at 12:15 p.m., and blood was found outside the home and later confirmed to be Nancy's.

Ransom Notes Raise the Stakes

Investigators were also examining ransom notes sent to two media outlets, including TMZ. The messages included deadlines and a threat that read, "Or else."

According to the outlet, the note demanded millions in Bitcoin.

At the same press conference, FBI Phoenix Special Agent Heith Janke revealed additional insights, including a second demand for Monday, February 9. However, he did not reveal the exact details.

Instead, he said the note referenced Nancy's watch and the floodlights in her house. Agent Janke said that any ransom decision was up to the Guthrie family.

Still No Clear Suspect

The FBI had originally announced a $50,000 reward (before raising it recently) for information leading to Nancy's location or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.

Officers are "actively looking at everyone" as a potential suspect, though no one has been publicly named.