Intriguing Porch Images from Nancy Guthrie’s Home May Offer Vital Clues

Images from the suspect’s gloves to his flashlight might hold the key to solving this case.

“This guy left a lot of important clues,” said Clint Van Zandt, a former FBI profiler.

The FBI has already analyzed footage from Guthrie’s doorbell camera to identify the suspect’s backpack. On Thursday, they released an alert featuring a photo of the backpack’s brand and model, hoping to narrow down the flood of tips coming in.

It has been almost two weeks since the disappearance of the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, believed to have been abducted.

Former criminal investigators suggest that authorities are likely constructing a detailed physical and psychological profile of the suspect. This effort relies on the less than one minute of footage released to the public on Tuesday.

It’s unclear if more footage has been recovered, but advanced technology may reveal more than what is immediately visible.

“Every single thing that is in the video is being digitally enhanced. Everything from the mask to backpack to the jacket,” said Ed Davis, the former Boston police commissioner during the marathon bombing and manhunt in 2013.

Here’s what was captured in the footage and what clues each might yield:

It probably didn’t take long to pinpoint the type of backpack the suspect was wearing, Davis said.

Technology available today allows investigators to break down photos and videos to the pixel, he said, giving them images of the stitching and maybe the manufacturer or brand name.

The FBI described the backpack as a black, 25-litre “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack.”

The FBI says the man on Nancy Guthrie’s porch was armed.

But the video shows he had an unusual holster setup, hanging over the middle of his waist and not on the side. It might be an indication that whoever it was has little experience with firearms.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Davis said.

The footage gives a close-up view of the suspect trying to cover Guthrie’s doorbell camera, first with a gloved hand and then with part of a plant ripped from the yard.

The black gloves appear to be thicker than most and shimmered in the light.

“I spend a lot of time in Home Depot, and I’ve never seen those gloves,” Davis said. “They’re not very common.”

The suspect’s zip-up jacket, pants, shoes and mask don’t immediately stand out. But identifying one or more of those items could be a key.

Because once that happens, investigators can start looking at where those items are sold and combing through receipts and store surveillance cameras, starting with stores in the Tucson area closest to Guthrie’s home, said Van Zandt, who spent 25 years with the FBI.

Going through mounds of receipts and footage will take time and isn’t something that would be done on most cases, but there’s no shortage of people assigned to this one, he said. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department earlier this week said several hundred detective and agents have been assigned to the case.

“If all of the stars line up properly — and they rarely do — I find someone who was in there two weeks prior who bought the jacket, the shoes, the backpack all at the same time,” Van Zandt said.

In one of the videos, the suspect appeared to be holding a small torchin his mouth while in front of Guthrie’s door.

Figuring out the type of torch might be difficult, but there’s something else to look at there, said David Lyons, a former homicide detective and police commander in Lexington, Kentucky.

Not many people instinctively hold a torchin their mouth, but those who work in the trades might — such as an electrician or a plumber, he said.

“That’s a small thing,” he said.

“But at the same time, down the road, it could be something.”

Every step and movement the suspect made on the porch is worth a close look — from the way he walked, to how he seemed unhurried and how he grabbed the plant from the yard, Lyons said.

All of that will likely be used by behavioral analysts to create a profile of the suspect, he said.

“That’s what this will come down to,” Lyons said.

“Those small aspects added all together.”

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