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Major growth in Nancy Guthrie case as masked suspect was caught on doorbell digicam BEFORE abduction

The mysterious masked figure who was seen trying to obscure Nancy Guthrie’s Nest doorbell camera on the night of her abduction had apparently visited the house before.

Federal investigators released eerie footage of the unidentified suspect standing at Guthrie’s front door in the upscale Catalina Foothills neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona in the early morning hours on February 1. 

Police have yet to arrest any suspects or produce any concrete leads into the disappearance of the 84-year-old mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie.

But an image that the FBI released of the suspect at her front door without a backpack had been captured on her Nest doorbell camera before her abduction, sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News. 

The timeline gap may help explain why investigators have asked neighbors to check their home security systems for suspicious people and vehicles going back to January 1, one month before the abduction. 

It is now believed that the suspect approached the door the first time noticed the camera and was scared off, only to return later, when he was seen tampering with the device and putting branches in front of the lens.

If it is the same person, ‘it could indicate that the person was there surveilling the place before the abduction happened,’ Jason Peck, a former FBI agent, told ABC.

‘The fact that there was preparation and planning, which makes it more of a sophisticated type of criminal activity than someone just showing up.’ 

Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, was taken from her home in the early morning hours of February 1

Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, was taken from her home in the early morning hours of February 1

A masked suspect spotted outside Nancy Guthrie's home in Tucson, Arizona apparently visited the house prior to her abduction

A masked suspect spotted outside Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Arizona apparently visited the house prior to her abduction

The unidentified suspect was later seen trying to obscure the Nest doorbell camera

The unidentified suspect was later seen trying to obscure the Nest doorbell camera

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.