FBI Director Kash Patel has revealed that a delay in allowing federal agents to assist in the Nancy Guthrie investigation may have resulted in the permanent loss of key doorbell camera footage.

Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, was abducted from her Tucson, Arizona home in the early hours of February 1, 2026. According to Patel, local authorities did not request FBI assistance for four days after her disappearance.

Potential Loss of Nest Camera Footage
Guthrie did not have a cloud subscription for her Nest doorbell camera, meaning video was only temporarily stored in a cache and was at risk of automatic deletion. The FBI worked with Google to recover limited cached footage that was on the verge of being erased. This recovery produced the images of a masked suspect that were publicly released on February 10.

Patel stated that additional video — potentially showing more of the suspect, a vehicle, or earlier visits to the home — may have already been deleted by the time the FBI became involved.

“We were looking for the needle of all needles in all haystacks, because since she didn’t pay for it, they didn’t record that data,” Patel said. “But there was a chance that it was located in their cache just before it was being deleted.”

A masked individual appeared on the camera at least twice — once on the day of the abduction and once approximately three weeks earlier. Only a single still image from the earlier visit has been released publicly.

Criticism of the Timeline
Patel emphasized that time is the most critical factor in investigations. “Time is the enemy of all investigations and the thief of vital evidence. You can never go back and get this evidence once it’s gone.”

By the time FBI agents arrived, the crime scene had already been released. People had been allowed to approach the front door where blood was found on the porch. The scene was later resecured, and agents spent hours examining the home and collecting additional security cameras.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has previously countered that an FBI task force member was present early in the investigation, though that individual was not a federal agent. The sheriff’s department declined to comment on Patel’s latest statements.

Ongoing Investigation
The FBI generated a rough description of the masked suspect as between 5 feet 9 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall with a medium build, wearing a black Ozark Trail backpack. Authorities have not ruled out the possibility of additional suspects.

Nancy Guthrie remains missing. A combined reward of more than $1.2 million is being offered for information leading to her whereabouts. Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or the local tip line at 520-88-CRIME.

Main Sources: Fox News and statements from FBI Director Kash Patel.