Google Employees Scrambling to Recover Crucial Security Footage Inside 'Abducted' Nancy Guthrie's Arizona Home — But Key Evidence May Be Gone
No new video has been recovered in the eight days since the suspect's images were released.
Feb. 18 2026, Published 7:40 p.m. ET
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos delivered some discouraging news about the chances of more video from missing Nancy Guthrie's Nest cameras being recovered, RadarOnline.com can report.
The lawman revealed Google technicians have been "trying" desperately to find additional footage showing the suspect in the abduction of the 84-year-old, but that they're losing hope with each passing day.
'It's Like Peeling Paint'
Sheriff Chris Nanos tried to explain the complex process of how Google is attempting to find video from Nancy Guthrie's home.
Since Savannah Guthrie's mom didn't have a Nest subscription, no recordings were made from the cameras in and around Nancy's Tucson, Arizona, home, where she was abducted in the early morning hours of February 1.
Google techs worked for over a week before they were finally able to recover video from the front doorbell camera, which the suspect tampered with before removing the device. The FBI released the video on February 10, but sadly, it did not lead to any solid tips about a possible suspect.
Nanos himself seemed not to fully understand what the Google technicians needed to do to find any new video from one of Nancy's cameras.
"I'm going to try to explain this as a simple man that I am," he told NewsNation's Brian Entin. "It's like peeling paint – you have images over images over images."
"And you've got to peel back very easy because you might destroy the layer you wanted," he warned.
The Only Key Piece of Evidence So Far
Video of the suspect in Nancy Guthrie's abduction wasn't recovered until more than a week after she was taken.
"So, there's other cameras...will we get more? We've asked Google, 'Hey guys, can you do this?' And they said the very same thing. 'Sheriff, we don't think we can get anything, but we'll try," the bumbling top-cop shared, adding that he remains "hopeful" about the situation.
Nanos revealed that his department recovered additional cameras from Nancy's home and turned them over to Google, but nothing from those devices has been retrieved.
The video from the front doorbell camera showed a masked man wearing gloves and a weighted-down backpack with a gun holstered in his waistband.
The suspect attempted to cover the device with yard foliage before eventually disabling it. Authorities hoped that someone might recognize his body movements or the man's eyes and mouth, which were visible under his ski mask.
'5,000 Tips' Off the Initial Video
The suspect at Nancy Guthrie's front door tried to cover the doorbell camera with plants from her yard.
Nanos called the video of the suspect "a great piece of evidence" and revealed it generated almost 5,000 tips to his department within the first hour of its release.
None of those tips has panned out.
The most recent activity in the case was a SWAT raid on a Tucson home on the evening of February 13, which was about two miles from Nancy's house.
Two people were detained for questioning but later released, as the case continues to grow colder by the day.
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'We Still Have Hope'
A broken Savannah Guthrie said she still had hope that her missing mother will be found.
A completely broken Savannah even seemed to be at a loss about the situation in an emotional Instagram video she shared on February 16.
"It’s been two weeks since our mom was taken, and I just wanted to come on and say that we still have hope," the Today co-host said with eyes that looked like she hadn't slept in days.
Savannah continued, "I wanted to say to whoever has her or knows where she is, it’s never too late. And you’re not lost, or alone. And it is never too late to do the right thing," addressing the suspect who forcibly abducted her mom.
"And we are here. We believe. And we believe in the essential goodness of every human being. And it’s never too late," she added.
