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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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A former FBI agent has highlighted a damaged utility box that authorities are investigating in connection with the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department confirmed it is investigating a damaged utility box located around the corner from Nancy Guthrie’s home outside Tucson, Arizona, NBC's Today show reported on Monday.
The damaged box could be connected to a reported Internet outage in the area around the time of her disappearance in the early hours of February 1, which could have possibility disrupted video surveillance systems in the area, according to Today.
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In a post on X alongside a link to a local news station's report about the damaged utility box, Jennifer Coffindaffer questioned if those involved in her abduction had tampered with the utility box.
“Did the perpetrators in Nancy's abduction tamper with a nearby electrical box?” Coffindaffer wrote on X. “That makes sense and the FBI is investigating.”
Newsweek has contacted the FBI and Pima County Sheriff's Department for comment via emails sent outside regular business hours.
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The Context
Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for more than a month. She was last seen at her home on January 31 and was reported missing the following day. Authorities believe she was kidnapped and said drops of her blood were found on the front porch.
Since the first days of her disappearance, authorities have expressed concern about her health because she needs vital daily medication.
The FBI on February 10 released video from a doorbell camera showing a man wearing a ski mask, long pants, jacket, gloves and a handgun holster on Nancy Guthrie’s porch on the night she disappeared.
Authorities have not publicly identified the person, whom they called a suspect, but the FBI described the person as a male about 5 feet, 9 or 10 inches tall with an average build and said he was carrying a 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.
What To Know
Some of Nancy Guthrie's neighbors confirmed to NewsNation that the FBI has asked them about a disruption to Internet service on February 1.
One neighbor said security camera footage from that night Nancy Guthrie went missing is marked “not available."
The news that authorities are examining the utility box comes after Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News a week ago that investigators were "definitely closer" to tracking down the suspect.
In that interview, Nanos said investigators had not identified any of the clothing the suspect seen in the surveillance video was wearing but that they were looking into the possibility the suspect's backpack, which is sold exclusively at Walmart, may have been purchased online.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department confirmed last week that DNA from black gloves that were recovered about 2 miles from Nancy Guthrie's home had been traced to a local restaurant employee who was "not part of this investigation."
The sheriff's department did not disclose how the gloves were traced to the employee but previously said investigators would seek to use investigative genetic genealogy in the investigation.
Authorities said last month that DNA from the gloves did not match any entries in CODIS, the FBI's national database. The FBI had earlier said the gloves appeared to match those worn by the masked person seen in the surveillance footage.
Nanos also said that investigators were still facing challenges processing mixed DNA found at Nancy Guthrie's home that did not belong to her or those in close contact with her. The sheriff suggested the mixture could contain DNA from several people.
Last week, Savannah Guthrie and her family returned to Nancy Guthrie's home in their first sighting at the house since she went missing. The family is offering a $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of their mother.
What People Are Saying
The Pima County Sheriff's Department said in a statement on February 27: "This remains an active investigation and will continue until Nancy Guthrie is located or all leads have been exhausted. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is refocusing resources to detectives specifically assigned to this case. As leads are developed and resolved, resource allocation may fluctuate. PCSD will maintain a patrol presence in the Guthrie neighborhood."
Savannah Guthrie wrote on Instagram last week: "We feel the love and prayers from our neighbors, from the Tucson community and from around the country. ... Please don't stop praying and hoping with us. bring her home."
What Happens Next
Anyone with information is urged to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), 520-351-4900 or 88-CRIME or visit tips.fbi.gov.
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