The FBI released surveillance photos and video The Nancy Guthrie Case It is said to reveal a wealth of information that investigators can use to identify potential subjects. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Nancy’s recovery and/or the arrest of those responsible for her disappearance.
Nancy Guthrie case: Can retail records help identify people on video (Photo by Brandon Bell / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP) (Getty Images via AFP)Black-and-white photos and clips show a man wearing gloves, a mask, khakis, sneakers and a backpack tampering with cameras at Guthrie’s front door the morning he disappeared. One of the videos shows the man walking towards the door with his head down The person’s eyes are visible through holes in their mask.
‘clothing evidence’According to several law enforcement experts, the person’s clothing could provide new leads to investigators Savannah Guthrie’s mother.
“Certain backpack styles, clothing brands, shoe types, even ski mask patterns — all of these can be identified through retail purchases, especially if purchased locally,” Dr. Gregory Vecchi, retired supervisory special agent and head of the FBI Behavioral Science Unit, told Fox News Digital. “FBI to Release Records of Sporting Goods Stores, Tactical Supply Outlets and Online Purchases.”
Vecchi added that even though the man was wearing a mask, law enforcement could use updated technology to trace their identity.
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“They will also run the images through a facial recognition system,” Vecchi said. “Even with the mask, their visible eye structure, possible whiskers and body mechanics can generate investigative leads.”
Details on other items could also give investigators clues about the man’s identity, such as gun holsters and the type of gear they were carrying.
“Now that we know what she looks like and how she acts, investigators will cross-reference this profile against Nancy’s life,” Vecchi said. “Whose strategic background, firearms skills and operational capabilities are we looking at?”
Once investigators are able to identify specific items worn by the subject, law enforcement can begin campaigns on behalf of both in-person and online retailers to identify who purchased them.
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“Right now investigators are working backwards from those images,” former FBI agent Jason Pack told Fox News Digital. “If they can identify that backpack, that jacket, those specific items, they’re running purchase records from every retailer in the Tucson area.”
Pack explained that authorities would then focus on online retailers who delivered the items to local addresses. The search may also extend to Tucson’s pawn shops and secondhand stores, “anywhere someone might try to steal gear after the fact,” he said.
“The goal is to create a purchase timeline that leads to a name and address,” he adds.
Authorities could even use clothing information to build a better physical profile of the man by paying attention to the fit of the items worn in the videos. “They can get race, height, weight, body composition and occupation from the video,” Dr. Anne Wolbert Burgess, who leads the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, told Fox News Digital.
“Clothes prove,” Pack said. “If they recover any of these items — the backpack, the gloves and the mask — they’re looking for DNA, fingerprints, fiber transfers from Nancy’s house. Even if the person was careful, it’s almost impossible not to have trace evidence when you’re in physical contact with a victim or a crime scene.”
Vecchi said he believes the man is from the Tucson area. “He probably has local connections, and someone in his circle knows something that could unlock this case,” he said.
The suspects in the case have not yet been identified. Nancy remains absent.
