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As the search for Nancy Guthrie enters its third week, investigators are working multiple angles at once, combining forensic analysis with a widening effort to identify a masked suspect captured on surveillance video.
The 84-year-old disappeared from her Catalina Foothills home north of Tucson on the night of January 31. Authorities believe she was abducted in the early hours of February 1.
Initial clues included blood on her porch and a disconnected doorbell camera, but a key development came on February 10 when federal agents recovered previously missing surveillance footage.
The video shows a masked individual approaching the residence and appearing to disable the camera. The suspect, believed to be male, was carrying what looked like a firearm in a holster and a black backpack. The FBI has described him as approximately 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-10 inches tall with an average build.
According to CBS News, federal investigators now have names and photographs of people who match the suspect's description. Those images have been shared with local businesses, including gun shops, in hopes of generating a lead.
Philip Martin, co-owner of Armor Bearer Arms, told local CBS affiliate KOLD that an FBI agent visited his store between February 10 and 12. He said he was given a packet containing between 18 and 24 images and names to cross-check against recent firearm purchases.
"Based on that video I saw of the kidnapper at the house who was caught on camera -- the facial hair that I saw on the video reminds me a lot of these photographs," Martin told KOLD.
After reviewing his store's records from the past year, Martin said he found no matches. Another gun shop owner told CBS that he also received a packet with driver's license photos and social media images, but did not recognize any of the individuals.
Sheriff urges caution as DNA testing continues
While the circulation of multiple names has fueled speculation, Chris Nanos emphasized that investigators have not narrowed their focus to a defined group of suspects.
"We haven't narrowed it down to anything other than we have pieces of evidence that we're looking at to try to find this individual," Nanos told Fox News.
Meanwhile, the Pima County Sheriff's Department confirmed that biological evidence collected from Nancy's home is undergoing laboratory analysis. Officials have not disclosed how many DNA profiles are being reviewed.
Police sources previously indicated that new DNA uncovered during a recent search does not belong to Nancy Guthrie, whose disappearance has drawn national attention due to her daughter, Savannah Guthrie, serving as a co-anchor of NBC's Today.