FBI Releases Images, Raises Reward in Nancy Guthrie Case
FBI identified a 5'9"–5'10" man with a black 25L Ozark Trail backpack and doubled the reward to $100,000 after forensic analysis of doorbell footage produced new images.
Overview
On Feb. 12 the FBI released enhanced doorbell footage identifying a male about 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-10 carrying a black, 25-liter Ozark Trail backpack and doubled the reward to $100,000, the agency said.
Investigators say Guthrie was reported missing on Feb. 1 after she returned home the night of Jan. 31; her doorbell camera was disconnected around 1:45 a.m. and her pacemaker stopped transmitting just before 2:30 a.m., officials said.
Guthrie’s children issued public pleas and authorities have said alleged ransom notes demanded bitcoin with deadlines on Feb. 5 and Feb. 9, while a man was charged with sending a hoax ransom message, court records show.
The FBI has received more than 13,000 tips and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said several hundred detectives and agents are assigned, and investigators recovered black gloves about 1.5 miles from Guthrie’s home on Feb. 12, officials said.
Forensic teams are digitally enhancing video and conducting DNA testing on recovered items, and the FBI urged the public to submit tips to 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov as the investigation continues, officials said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources... frame the story as a solvable, forensic-driven mystery, using loaded terms ('chilling'), elevating former FBI profilers and law-enforcement details, and foregrounding artifact-by-artifact clues (backpack, holster, flashlight). This editorial emphasis boosts confidence in investigative progress while giving limited space to skepticism or alternative context.
Sources (7)
FAQ
The suspect is a male approximately 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-10 tall, of average build, wearing a mask, carrying a black 25-liter Ozark Trail backpack, and believed to be armed.
Nancy was dropped off at home around 9:30-9:45 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2026; garage door closed at 9:50 p.m.; doorbell camera disconnected at 1:47 a.m. on Feb. 1; motion detected at 2:12 a.m.; pacemaker stopped at 2:28 a.m.; reported missing around noon after missing church.
The FBI has doubled the reward to $100,000 for information leading to Nancy Guthrie's recovery and/or conviction of the perpetrator.
The FBI is reviewing Walmart sales records and store surveillance footage for the black Ozark Trail backpack, as it is a Walmart-exclusive brand, to trace potential suspects.
A 42-year-old California man, Derrick Callella, was charged with sending a hoax ransom message, but no one has been charged in the actual disappearance or abduction.
History
3 sources