A 73-year-old neighbor of Nancy Guthrie is installing a doorbell camera after the 84-year-old woman vanished from her Tucson home, and weeks later, authorities still have no suspect in custody.
Lisa McIntire lives on North Cerrada Chica in the Catalina Foothills section of Tucson, Arizona. She told Newsweek on Friday that she plans to add the camera despite having lived in the neighborhood since 2021 without major safety concerns.
The move speaks volumes. When a quiet retirement community starts locking down, something has gone badly wrong, and the people in charge haven't fixed it.
Guthrie, the mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie, was last seen at her home on January 31. She was reported missing the next day after failing to attend church, AP News reported. Authorities believe she was taken against her will.
FBI officials released doorbell-camera footage showing an armed, masked man outside Guthrie's home before her disappearance. The suspect has been described as about 5-foot-9 with an average build, carrying a black Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.
No suspects have been publicly identified. No arrests have been made in connection with the abduction.
McIntire said she had never met Guthrie. FBI investigators interviewed her and asked neighbors about possible internet disruptions the night of the disappearance, including whether someone used a Wi-Fi jammer to disable security cameras.
That detail alone should alarm anyone who relies on wireless home security.
McIntire described the area as quiet and dark by design, telling Newsweek:
"The neighborhood is intentionally without exterior lighting in order to benefit from the astronomical [sights] of Tucson."
She added that few children live nearby and that her 3,000-square-foot property felt secure, until now. McIntire acknowledged the new reality:
"It seems like it would be wise to do so."
Still, she downplayed the broader threat, saying property crimes were the worst the area had seen before this case:
"I mean, there have been property incidents in the neighborhood, but other than that, this is the first time, you know, when somebody has been abducted."
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News that investigators believe the kidnapping was targeted, but he warned the suspect could "absolutely" strike again. Fox News detailed Nanos's comments, noting that investigators claim to have a theory about motive but have not disclosed it publicly.
Nanos said in a statement cited by Newsweek:
"We believe we know why he did this, and we believe that it was targeted."
But he hedged immediately:
"But we can't, we're not 100 percent sure of that, so it would be silly to tell people: 'Yeah, don't worry about it. You're not his target.'"
That is cold comfort for residents like McIntire. The sheriff is essentially saying: we think we know what happened, but we can't promise you're safe. Weeks into this case, that is not good enough.
The investigation has hit dead ends on physical evidence. Gloves recovered about two miles from Guthrie's home appeared to match what the masked suspect wore on doorbell footage. But DNA from those gloves produced no matches in the federal CODIS database, as the Washington Examiner reported.
Separately, Nanos told Fox News that DNA found on a different glove near the home was traced to a restaurant worker across the street and had nothing to do with the case, Just The News noted.
A Tucson couple also reported finding blood-stained gloves in the desert about a mile from Guthrie's home. Breitbart reported that investigators responded to the scene, interviewed the couple, and had evidence-collection personnel on site until 2 a.m.
Nanos said additional DNA evidence from Guthrie's home is still being processed. He insists investigators are closing in:
"I think from day one, we had strong beliefs about what happened, and those beliefs haven't diminished."
Former FBI agents have questioned whether the case is truly a kidnapping and criticized Nanos for insisting investigators were "definitely getting closer" to solving it. The sheriff pushed back during a news conference last month with a remarkable admission:
"I'm not used to everybody hanging on my words and then trying to hold me accountable for what I say."
That line deserves a second read. A sheriff investigating a high-profile abduction complains about being held accountable for his own public statements. Residents deserve better.
Meanwhile, the search has stretched past a month with no resolution. Authorities expanded their canvass, searched nearby desert terrain, and asked residents within a two-mile radius for camera footage. The FBI increased its reward to $100,000. An arrest outside Guthrie's home and a body found near a Phoenix canal have added to the grim uncertainty surrounding the case.
Savannah Guthrie announced a $1 million reward for information leading to her mother's recovery. She wrote on Instagram to her 2 million followers:
"Someone knows how to find our mom and bring her home."
She's right. Somebody knows. And right now, a 73-year-old woman down the street is buying a doorbell camera because the people paid to protect that neighborhood haven't caught the man who terrorized it.
When citizens start doing the government's job for themselves, that tells you everything about how well the government is doing its job.
