Nancy Guthrie Suspect Photo Analysis: Experts Share Chilling New Clues

New potential clues about the masked suspect at Nancy Guthrie's door are emerging from analysis of the surveillance photos and videos released by the FBI.

Analysis is shedding more light on the person authorities believe tampered with Guthrie's door camera, from the suspect's gait to the way his or her gun is holstered. FBI Director Kash Patel released the series of chilling photos and videos on X on February 10, as the search for 84-year-old Guthrie continues. "Working with our partners - as of this morning, law enforcement has uncovered these previously inaccessible new images showing an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie's front door the morning of her disappearance," he wrote.

Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson home, likely in the early morning hours of February 1, the Pima County sheriff said in a previous news conference.

Experts Believe the Way the Nancy Guthrie Suspect's Gun Is Holstered Is Potentially Significant

New images in the search for Nancy Guthrie:
 
Over the last eight days, the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department have been working closely with our private sector partners to continue to recover any images or video footage from Nancy Guthrie’s home that may have been lost,… pic.twitter.com/z5WLgPtZpT

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) February 10, 2026

Brian Entin, a correspondent with News Nation, wrote on X, "The more law enforcement I talk to - the more telling me the person doesn’t look overly sophisticated or professional. The way the gun is holstered and not immediately ripping off the camera. Cartel, for example, would have been more efficient they say."

The New York Post spoke to a former FBI agent who drew the same conclusion about the gun being carried in a holster fastened on the front of the suspect's body. It's not a normal way to carry a gun, which speaks to a lack of sophistication to some experts.

"That is a very non-conventional way to carry a firearm. Very non-conventional,” former agent Mark Harrigan told The New York Post.

“He has it in the open, which is unusual, because normally you would want it concealed when you’re going to do a crime, so you’re not calling attention to yourself with an exposed firearm,” he told The Post. “That’s potentially somebody that’s not normally armed or carrying a firearm around in public. Normally, you’d have it on the hip."

Is the Nancy Guthrie suspect a lefty?

Favoring firearm with lefthand,
ripping plants with left hand,
tries to cover camera with said plants with left hand... pic.twitter.com/KtK1X0WgnO

— dontfckwjustice (@dontfckwjustice) February 10, 2026

In addition, some observers believe the video shows the suspect is likely left-handed.

The Suspect's Failure to Fully Cover the Camera Also Speaks to a Lack of Sophistication, Experts Say

Harrigan also told The Post that the suspect's failure to obscure the camera speaks to amateurishness. “A sophisticated person would have brought something from the very beginning. Either a hammer or something to remove the camera, or spray paint,” he told the publication.

Chip Massey, a former FBI hostage negotiator, told Peoplethat the fact that authorities were able to capture images of the suspect, even with his or her face obscured, is a big deal. Thus, not covering the camera is clearly a major mistake made by the intruder.

“Before, we were working from almost nothing,” he told People. “Because we didn’t know what the family was getting in terms of emails and what was being sent. But here now we have the image of the captor, of the person breaking into this house. So there is so much here. We're gonna know his height, his weight. And I guarantee you, more importantly, there is somebody out there that knows exactly who this is.” 

Patel wrote that the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department "have been working closely with our private sector partners to continue to recover any images or video footage from Nancy Guthrie’s home that may have been lost, corrupted, or inaccessible due to a variety of factors - including the removal of recording devices. The video was recovered from residual data located in backend systems."

Experts Pointed to the Suspect's Gait as Being 'Interesting'

Additional recovered footage, from the same camera - at the same timeline the morning of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. This footage is just before the original video shared, with the individual approaching Nancy Guthrie’s front door.

1-800-CALL-FBI or https://t.co/h2BxNqSxkh pic.twitter.com/IgMHXWkL5X

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) February 10, 2026

The way the person is walking might help identify the suspect.

"I think [the suspect’s] gait is interesting,” former CIA member and FBI special agent Tracy Walder told Page Six. “While [their] walk is not overly distinctive, I do think that’s something the FBI could look at.”

The FBI's analysts should be able to figure out the suspect's height and weight through analysis of the video and photos, experts noted. Dan O'Shea, a retired Navy SEAL commander, told Fox 10, "Now we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was an attack."

"The height, the weight, the mannerisms" could help identify the person, O'Shea said on the broadcast.

The Nancy Guthrie Suspect May Have a Mustache or Other Facial Hair

Close-ups of the suspect photos appear to show the suspect with a mustache or facial hair. The New York Post also took note of this detail, writing that the person "appeared to have dark facial hair."

Susan Constantine, a body language expert, told Fox News that the subject’s "jawline appears puffy, which she said could indicate beard hair beneath the mask. She also said the subject’s head shape and lack of visible hair suggest the individual may be bald."

She added: "Even with the mask on, we can still see his eyes, his body structure, his proportions and his gait," Constantine said. "All of those things are identifiable."

The Suspect Was Wearing a Mask, Boxing Gloves & Tennis Shoes

O'Shea said the way the suspect was dressed appeared to indicate "evil intent."

He said that the person's mask made him think of a "cartel," although that is not a claim that has been made publicly by law enforcement, and other experts offer different theories. "I have seen cartels wear similar style ski masks," he said. He noted that the FBI analysts may be able to trace where the clothing was purchased.

The suspect was wearing boxing gloves and tennis shoes, according to the Fox 10 anchor, who referred to the suspect as a "he." However, people are divided over whether the person is a male or female, which another Fox 10 anchor later noted.

Observers Noted the Suspect's Seemingly Manicured Eyebrows

Is this a mustache or part of the mask?
Look at the eyebrows and eyes. Is that eyeliner and mascara?
Dude could be a woman. #NancyGuthrieKidnapping pic.twitter.com/NgYfWglq39

— voteblue2024????️???????????????????????????????????????????????? (@lflorepolitics) February 10, 2026

Although the mask obscures much of the suspect's face, there is one detail that could help someone identify him or her: seemingly manicured eyebrows, as well as a glimpse of the person's eyes.

The video and photos "clearly showed the shape of the suspected attacker's eyes, and part of their eyebrows," The Post also noted. The Fox 10 anchor also noted that the suspect appeared to have facial hair.

Some people believe that the suspect appears to be wearing makeup, perhaps even eyeliner.

The Kidnapping Appears to Be 'Planned,' an Expert Believes

The Page Six expert believes the signs point to the kidnapping being planned. That doesn't necessarily mean it was sophisticated, though.

“This is a person who came with a backpack, came with a weapon. They aren’t there to steal anything. They would have bags to do that. [Nancy] was the target. This video really illustrates that,” Walder told Page Six.

“I think there is a difference between being experienced and this being planned. I don’t know if this is a professional kidnapper who has been working for decades. I don’t think this is some professional kidnapping ring. I do think this person had a target in mind. They planned to the best of their ability to do this.”

The Fox 10 anchor noted that the suspect seemed surprised to notice the presence of a doorbell camera.

Related: