Nancy GuthrieA crime expert says the kidnapper revealed three main clues to his “unsophisticated” crime, including his weapon, gloves and his disguise.
“You have what appears to be a semi-automatic gun and a revolver case, and then it appears to be hanging in front of your private parts, and no shooter would actually be carrying this gun,” Troy HillmanAn exclusive account from a retired cold case homicide officer with the Phoenix Police Department US Weekly Regarding the perpetrator’s weapon seen on the Nest camera on the morning of the 84-year-old’s disappearance on February 1.
“For a guy who’s been on the loose for 17 or 18 days, it’s a very, very strange process,” he explained, noting that the “big, heavy” gloves the perpetrator was wearing also left him scratching his head. (In the video, an armed, masked man wearing what appear to be ski gloves approaches Nancy’s front door in Tucson, Arizona, and then blocks the camera.)
“It’s not like we live in a ski community,” Hillman – who is Hunt down zombie hunters and had no involvement in Nancy’s missing persons investigation – added. “And then, the fact that they’re wearing these gloves and they’re holding a gun. You could be shot walking into someone’s house in the middle of the night. So to me, you want to have tactical gloves and/or no gloves so you’re not wearing these big, bloated things.”
FBI
The cold case expert also said his time in the force taught him what to do in dangerous situations, and his Spider-Man sense tingled when he saw the footage of Nancy’s lair.
“I know from my whole shooting career, you wear tactical gloves and then those big, swollen things, you have to take them off,” Hillman told us. “You’re likely to get shot at or injured when you enter someone’s house in the middle of the night, so you need to be tactically prepared.”
Other clues that made Hillman feel like the perpetrator was “unsophisticated” were the facial hair evident in the footage and his lack of preparation when approaching the camera.
“If you had a mustache, you’d think you’d look in the mirror,” he said. “And then there’s his weird behavior of trying to cover the camera with his big glove, and then his weird behavior of walking towards the plant. What is he going to do to the plant?”
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Hillman called Nancy’s disappearance “one of the most bizarre missing persons investigations I have ever seen.”
Nancy – who is today show co-host Savannah Guthrie‘s mother – was last seen alive on January 31, while having dinner with her family. Her loved ones called the police on February 1 after friends informed her that Nancy had failed to show up for a virtual church service.
As the investigation enters its third week, police have yet to formally identify the suspects or persons of interest behind her disappearance.
Savannah made many loving pleas for her mother’s safe return.
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On February 15, Savannah returned to Instagram to issue a touching plea to those responsible for Nancy’s disappearance.
On February 15, she said via social media: “I just want to say that we still have hope. We still believe, and I want to say to those who have her, or know where she is, it is never too late, you are not lost or alone. It is never too late to do the right thing, and we are here. We believe. We believe in the inherent goodness.” [of] Everyone, it’s never too late. “
Anyone with information about Nancy’s disappearance is asked to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit http://tips.fbi.gov.