Cybersecurity Expert Thinks Nancy Guthrie Subject Footage Suggests Burglary Gone Wrong

Nearly 10 days after the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, the FBI released detailed surveillance footage of an armed and masked subject at the front door of her home the night of her abduction on Nov. 1.

Reacting to the news, cybersecurity expert Morgan Wright told Fox News that the footage leads him to believe that the invasion could be targeted burglary and not kidnapping.

"I’m watching a little bit of video, why is the guy putting vegetation over the camera? It starts giving you an idea of he’s going to go in that way and come out that way. And the other thing to your point, too, about not recognizing this, this goes back to was this pre-planned? Was this somebody that the family knew? And we’re obviously we’re starting to narrow in on that. One of the biggest things is going to be: it would be highly coincidental that this is the first house that this person hit that night," Wright asked.

"And I don’t wanna say that it’s less and less likely that it was targeted. I mean, I know some of the folks, the other guests have their opinions. I look at this and I go, if it was targeted and that’s really what I wanted to do, I wouldn’t waste 20 minutes out front. I’d be in, I would have had a way in, I’d acquire my target, and I’d be out. I mean, you don’t want to spend too much time on the X again … this is very similar to how somebody dresses when they’re going to do a lot of thefts or burglaries in one night. You’d be dressed, you’d be efficient. You got a backpack to store your loot in, and you hit target after target because you want to get out of there. You don’t want to be carrying big sacks or big bags because that’s very noticeable. A backpack, while it’s something you could observe, it’s not as noticeable as carrying a big laundry bag or a big, you know, rucksack of something."

While it is hard to glean much from the photos, advances in AI and other technologies should help authorities determine the subject’s exact weight, height, and other identifying details.

The video could also help members of the public recognize the person’s posture, as well as his clothing, backpack, and shoes.

Wright’s insight adds credence to a theory floated this week by a former FBI official on cable news that this may have been a crime-gone-wrong. In that scenario, the suspect did not initially plan to kidnap Nancy Guthrie but decided to after the original plan went awry.

That possibility could also help explain the delayed ransom note. The FBI says the abductors have not communicated further with the Guthrie family since a second message on Saturday. Authorities also say they have not received proof of life. 

Still, Savannah Guthrie posted a message on Instagram on Tuesday saying the family believes her mother is alive. "We believe she is still alive. Bring her home," she wrote.

The Guthrie family, which says it will pay, did not send the ransom payment to the requested Bitcoin address at 5 p.m. local time on Monday, the second of two deadlines.

The FBI said it released the photo on Tuesday after the family told investigators they did not immediately recognize the masked person.

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