Retired NYPD detective weighs in on cars seen near Guthrie home

NEW YORK - Sunday marked one month since 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Tucson home, new surveillance images and a $1 million reward are shifting the focus of the investigation.

What they're saying:

Retired NYPD Detective David Sarni said the newly obtained video footage showing 12 vehicles traveling near the home between midnight and 6 a.m. — could mark the most significant lead so far.

"This is something that may be valuable to find out how they abducted Nancy and took her away," Sarni said.

New surveillance video expands search perimeter

Fox News Digital obtained images from a home roughly two miles away from Guthrie’s residence — beyond the initial 1.5-mile canvas conducted by investigators.

"When they started the canvas, the extended video canvas, they went about a mile and a half," Sarni explained. "This video was not obtained by the sheriff’s office… because they never asked for anything past that one and a half mile mark. So this was about two miles away."

The homeowner later contacted authorities, and the sheriff’s office and FBI retrieved the footage.

The video reportedly captures multiple vehicles around 2:30 a.m. — the same time Guthrie’s pacemaker reportedly unsynced from her device, a key moment investigators are examining.

Still, Sarni urged caution.

"We cannot even determine whether or not those vehicles that were located on that camera connect to the house yet," he said. "I always tell people, wait until the experts do that."

He called the footage "a good lead" and added, "It’s better than we’ve had so far."

$1 million reward draws surge in tips

Dig deeper:

Last week, the Guthrie family announced a $1 million reward for information leading to Nancy’s return.

Sarni said investigators initially advised against offering money.

"From my understanding, the Guthrie family was told by the sheriff’s department not to put out money for it because they would have added to more leads," he said. Authorities wanted tips to come in "as organic as possible."

But nearly a month into the search, the strategy changed.

"Now at this point in this juncture in time, we have to somewhat look for bad actors," Sarni said.

He referenced a note sent to TMZ requesting Bitcoin for information and suggested the increased reward could pressure those on the periphery of the crime.

"Maybe that will have those bad actors who may have been tertiarily involved, who don't want to get arrested, may be involved in this and get those tips," he said.

According to Sarni, about 1,000 tips have come in since the reward was announced.

Investigators are also sifting through "almost 10,000 hours worth of video" that has been uploaded to a central repository, he said.

"You’re seeing a lot of changes with the dynamic of the investigation," Sarni added. "It’s now expanded even further than the 1 1/2 mile area to two miles, maybe go a little farther than that."

Why release the home now?

The other side:

Authorities have held the Guthrie home as a crime scene for more than 3 1/2 weeks. Questions have surfaced about whether returning the home to the family signals a slowdown.

Sarni said that decision comes down to evidence collection.

"I don’t release a scene until I feel comfortable that we have everything. And I mean everything. Top to bottom, from rooftop down to wherever you got to go into that house," he said.

DNA

."Understand this, DNA is invisible to the eye," Sarni said. "When you talk about DNA retrieval, you’re talking about places where contact was made by somebody."

He noted that surveillance video appears to show a suspect attempting to avoid leaving forensic evidence.

"You see he’s trying to avoid as much forensic evidence to be left — namely fingerprints, DNA — wearing a ski mask," Sarni said.

If investigators are confident they’ve processed the scene thoroughly, releasing it is standard procedure.

"You only release it when you are ready to do that," he said.

Focus shifts to what happened after

What's next:

With the home processed, Sarni said investigators will concentrate on what he calls "the post incident."

"Now you're looking at where did they go?" he said.

He believes prior video footage showing a similarly dressed individual near the home suggests targeting.

"Based on what the video footage we have on the prior time that this suspect was there… we see it being targeted," Sarni said.

He added that Tucson’s dark nighttime conditions may have worked in the suspect’s favor.

"From my understanding Tucson… the nighttime in Tucson or that area is pitch black," he said.

As the investigation expands beyond the initial search radius and the reward fuels new tips, Sarni said authorities will continue to compare vehicle footage and track possible routes in and out of the area.

"Hopefully bring Nancy home," he said.

Map of the area where Nancy Guthrie was last seen:

Crime and Public Safety