STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Police are back to having no one in custody in the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie. They briefly detained and then released a man who told ABC15 in Arizona he was told he was detained, but he didn't do it. Guthrie is the mother of "Today Show" host Savannah Guthrie, and investigators are still looking at another lead - images and video captured by a security camera at Nancy Guthrie's Arizona home. In a moment, we'll hear from a former FBI profiler about what she can learn from that video. We begin with the facts we know so far.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
NPR's Alana Wise has been following the story, and she's with us now. Good morning, Alana.
ALANA WISE, BYLINE: Good morning.
MARTIN: So what's the latest?
WISE: The Pima County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday night it had detained the person during a traffic stop south of Tucson and was conducting a court-authorized search related to the investigation. The sheriff's office hasn't commented since then, but as you said, other outlets have reported that the person was released. NPR has not independently confirmed this. A New York Times reporter posted video on social media of the man who was detained. He was speaking to reporters outside his home saying he is not the suspect, and he hopes Guthrie is found safe.
MARTIN: And say more about this video. Many people may have seen it yesterday.
WISE: Yeah. Up until yesterday, officials hadn't been able to recover video footage from a doorbell camera at Nancy's house, but working with different agencies in the private sector, they scored a break. The FBI released several stills and two short videos that show someone wearing a mask that covers everything but their eyes and mouth. The person has gloves on and a backpack, and they appear to be armed with a gun. In the videos, you can see the person come into frame at Nancy Guthrie's front door with their head down, and they try to cover the camera lens with their hands sort of balled into a fist. Then the subject steps off the porch and grabs a handful of this sort of leafy material that they then try to put over the camera lens.
MARTIN: Has law enforcement said, or have they indicated whether they have a sense of who that is in that footage?
WISE: They still haven't named any suspects, and there still hasn't been any proof provided that Nancy Guthrie is still alive, but the FBI is still soliciting tips for any information to help find her or whoever might have taken her. Last week, the agency announced a $50,000 reward for any information that led to Guthrie's recovery and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone who took her.
MARTIN: And what is Guthrie's family saying?
WISE: They're continuing their calls for help from the public. The FBI has yet to say whether it's verified the authenticity of any supposed ransom notes, but it did say it's taking seriously some ransom messages that were sent to several media outlets. Meanwhile, Nancy Guthrie's children have made several appeals to whomever might have their mother, and they said they're willing to pay ransom. Here's Savannah Guthrie in an Instagram plea over the weekend directly to the alleged ransomers.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: We received your message, and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.
WISE: On Monday, the FBI said it wasn't aware of any, quote, "continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers." After the FBI released the surveillance footage, Savannah Guthrie posted the video to her Instagram page and said that she believes her mother is still alive.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Alana Wise. Alana, thank you.
WISE: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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