The FBI has increased the offered reward money for Savannah Guthrie’s mom, Nancy, as the search for her intensifies.
On Thursday, the FBI upped the reward money from $50,000 to $100,000 for any information that could lead to the location and arrest of anyone involved in her mysterious disappearance. It also released details about the alleged kidnapper obtained from security footage along with a description of the perpetrator’s backpack.
“The suspect is described as a male, approximately 5’9” – 5’10” tall, with an average build. In the video, he is wearing a black, 25-liter ‘Ozark Trail Hiker Pack’ backpack,” the FBI said in a message on Thursday.
Authorities have thus far identified no suspects or persons of interest. Earlier this week, police detained delivery driver Carlos Palazuelos for questioning before later releasing him.
“I hope they get the suspect, because I am not it,” he told reporters.
According to TheWrap, investigators on Thursday “sent an alert via the Neighbors app to anyone within a two-mile radius of Nancy Guthrie’s residence asking for video footage of anything potentially out of the ordinary between Jan. 1 and Feb. 2.”
“The Pima County Sheriff’s Department also confirmed they have located several items of evidence, including black gloves, which have since been submitted for DNA analysis,” it added.
As noted by the Associated Press, the lack of progress “has generated pressure and questions for local and federal investigators who haven’t held a news conference in days.”
“From the outside, it might seem like solving the case and finding the 84-year-old Guthrie is growing unlikely, but investigators may be further along than they let on,” the AP added. “It’s not uncommon for cases to seem dead in the water at the outset and still eventually get solved, said Mary Ellen O’Toole, a former FBI profiler who worked on the yearslong search for the ‘Unabomber.’”
O’Toole said the release of the surveillance footage could provide helpful tips to finding the kidnapper.