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By Jenna Sundel
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A retired FBI agent said a potential subject in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance may have been using a walkie talkie to communicate with accomplices.
“Several days ago I spoke of this big find. You see, this is likely why geo fencing has perhaps been a dead end providing no usable leads. Walkie-talkies are the untraceable way to communicate,” Jennifer Coffindaffer, a retired FBI special agent, said on X.
She added, “He and his cohorts—likely he did not work alone—may not look sophisticated, but they were.”
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In a previous post, Coffindaffer said it appeared the subject had a walkie-talkie in surveillance footage released by law enforcement.
Why It Matters
Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for over a month. Her disappearance prompted a multiagency search involving local law enforcement and the FBI. Nancy was last seen at her home in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, on January 31.
Alleged ransom notes were sent to multiple news outlets after her disappearance.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at a news conference last month there were clues at the crime scene indicating Nancy Guthrie "did not leave on her own." The sheriff has also said Guthrie needs daily medication, and it could be fatal if she does not take it every 24 hours.
Nanos said in comments to the BBC that he believes Guthrie was a victim of a targeted kidnapping.
What To Know
Coffindaffer said she was reviewing the footage of a potential subject in the case when she noticed what appeared to be a walkie-talkie.
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“I saw what appeared to be a square shape, and then an antenna protruding from the pants pocket of who I call porch guy,” Coffindaffer told Newsweek. “And in that, it explained so much when I saw that.”
She said the discovery “bolstered the belief for those who believe this was not an act of somebody who did something alone, but rather the act of at least one other, if not more than one other person."
The FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department released surveillance photos and video of a potential subject as part of the investigation into Nancy’s disappearance. The agencies said they worked closely with private-sector partners to recover any images or video footage from the 84-year-old's home “that may have been lost, corrupted, or inaccessible due to a variety of factors, including the removal of recording devices.”
Law enforcement said the footage showed “an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie's front door the morning of her disappearance.”
Law enforcement officials have not publicly named any suspects or announced any arrests in connection with Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
Coffindaffer said the use of walkie-talkies could mean the person or persons involved did not have cell phones at Nancy’s home.
“It seems like possibly they were communicating by walkie-talkie, which would not register, obviously, on a cell tower and could not be used to triangulate what cell phones were there. So it’s my belief they were sophisticated enough not to use cell phones,” she said.
Coffindaffer said investigators are likely working to enhance the video footage, which could provide further information.
“There’s an entire lab unit that takes photographs and audio and visual recordings and they enhance them. And I have seen instances where I can’t read a license tag, and they send it back to me and all of a sudden I ca read a license tag,” Coffindaffer said. “It’s amazing what the FBI laboratory capabilities are when they have this raw footage. So I believe the FBI has much more information and much more telling optics of porch guy than any of us have.”
What People Are Saying
Jennifer Coffindaffer, former FBI agent, in comments to Newsweek: “Just imagine, down the road, if an individual is arrested, that they will be able to go back and show their nexus with a walkie talkie as an example. So not only is it useful as you’re investigating, but it’s useful in the adjudication of the case when they’re trying to show all these different areas that connect porch guy to the crime.”
Savannah Guthrie said in part in an Instagram video last week: "We also know that she may be lost, she may already be gone. She may have already gone home to the Lord that she loves and is dancing in heaven with her mom and her dad, and with her beloved brother Pierce, and with our daddy. And if this is what is to be, then we will accept it. But we need to know where she is, we need her to come home."
What Happens Next
Anyone with information is asked to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI, 520-351-4900, 88-CRIME or visit tips.fbi.gov. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the recovery of Nancy and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.
“To help keep the tip line available for actionable investigative law enforcement leads, please submit only serious and detailed fact-based information, no well-wishes or case theories. The tip line is not for personal messages to the Guthrie family,” FBI Phoenix said.
A reward of $102,500 is being offered by 88-CRIME for the arrest of the person or persons involved in the disappearance.
Savannah Guthrie announced on Instagram the family is also offering a reward of up to $1 million, payable only for her mother's recovery.
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