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By Joshua Rhett Miller
Senior Reporter
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The potential subject in the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie is likely known to her family, a security consultant and former NYPD officer told Newsweek.
The FBI on Tuesday released surveillance photos and videos of a potential subject in the investigation into the disappearance of the 84-year-old mother of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie.
Bill Stanton, a security consultant and former NYPD officer, said Tuesday’s release of photographs and video of a potential subject in the search for Nancy Guthrie shows law enforcement “at its best”: a collaborative effort between private and public sectors.
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"We all want to get this [subject],” Stanton told Newsweek on Tuesday. “Everybody has a mother; everyone would want to see their mother get home safe. And that’s the added pressure here.”
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Stanton said the harrowing photos released by authorities are “right out of a nightmare” and depict a person likely known to Nancy Guthrie or her family.
“Someone tangential to this woman’s life,” he said. “Someone that plays bingo with her, it could someone who cleans the pool, it could a friend of someone in church.”
Guthrie likely had “minor celebrity status” in her neighborhood as Savannah's mother, Stanton said. He added that investigators are likely using AI tools and traditional methods to locate the subject.
“They’re probably throwing the best that have in AI at it,” he said. “They’re probably looking at the distance between the eyeballs, measuring the height of the person based on them standing against the brick wall, right? All of that’s going to expedite the [investigatory] process.”
Stanton said he suspects more than one person was involved in the disappearance of Guthrie, who was last seen at her Tucson home on January 31. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has described her residence as a crime scene, although no suspects have been publicly identified.
“An 84-year-old person is unwieldy,” Stanton said. “Pun not intended: that’s a lot to lift. Meaning you have to get this person—you would think—get this person dressed. That’s where I believe the 45-minute is...You’re waking them up from a dead sleep, you have to intimidate them, you have to get them to comply, you have to get them to stay calm, and if all goes [wrong], you have to carry them.”
Stanton said he expects investigators to be inundated with a "tremendous amount of tips" in the next 24 to 48 hours following Tuesday's release of four photos and three short video clips.
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"This is going to be the maximum combination of cyber/AI and old-fashioned shoe-leather [policing]," he said. "They're going to a work-up of the body frame, the body weight and I'm guessing they're going to be able to determine what the [gender] is. And then they're going to look at the clothing."
Detectives could even cross-reference nearby purchases on Amazon if distinctive items of clothing can be identified in the photos or footage, Stanton said. The $50,000 reward currently offered by the FBI for information leading to an arrest in the ongoing investigation is also likely to climb, he said.
"I think this person has touch access," Stanton said of the individual seen in the photos. "When this individual or individuals are caught, you will see there is some degree of connectivity...there's going to be some direct link."
Savannah Guthrie, meanwhile, shared the images on her Instagram account Tuesday afternoon.
"We believe she is still alive," Guthrie wrote to her 1.7 million followers. "Bring her home."
Steve Moore, a former FBI supervisory special agent, said the armed person seen in the four photographs and three videos doesn’t appear to be familiar with firearms.
“The guy certainly doesn't know his way around guns,” Moore told Newsweek in a statement. “He appears to be carrying a small semi-auto in a holster made for a larger gun, probably a long-barrel revolver.”
Moore said the individual didn’t appear to be “very experienced” in other criminal aspects as well.
“If he cased the place, he apparently didn't see the Ring camera,” Moore said. “If so, he would have brought a small roll of masking or electricians' tape. Job done. Cover it with leaves?”
Marlon Marrache, a former officer for the Los Angeles Police Department who now hosts a podcast on law enforcement, said Tuesday’s update serves as the “strongest lead yet” in the high-profile search for Guthrie.
“From my experience as a retired LAPD sergeant and host of The Marlon Marrache Show, jurisdictional friction between the Pima County Sheriff’s Office and FBI is apparent,” Marrache told Newsweek in a statement. “Early local primacy likely contributed to scene contamination and slower federal ramp-up in this evident kidnapping. Officials stress seamless collaboration with no turf issues, but decisive federal leadership upfront typically drives faster progress. Transparency and unified action are urgent now to secure Nancy’s safe return.”
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