Volunteers Are Seen Combing Nancy Guthrie’s Property With Metal Detectors—After Sheriff Shared Key Update About Masked Suspect

Volunteers have been seen scanning the area outside of Nancy Guthrie's Arizona home with metal detectors in a bid to find any items that may have been dropped when the 84-year-old was abducted from the property on Feb. 1.

As the search for "Today" host Savannah Guthrie's mother stretched into its second month, two locals who have been volunteering in the hunt for the missing grandmother since its start in early February told Fox News that they were "trying to do as much" as they can to help authorities leading the case.

Alex Zabel, who lives in Tucson, explained to the outlet that, while their search had not been officially requested by officials or by the Guthrie family, he and his female companion—who did not wish to be named—were eager to take any steps that might lead to Nancy's recovery.

"We didn’t find anything, but we’re just trying to do as much as we can without trespassing," he said.

Fox News also reported that three workers were seen entering the property, suggesting that they had received permission from the family to go inside the home, which was returned to Nancy's relatives last week. They are not thought to have been connected to the volunteer group.

Their search around Nancy's $1 million home followed an update shared by Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who revealed in an interview with the "Today" show that investigators have learned new information about a backpack worn by a masked, armed intruder who was caught on camera approaching Nancy's front door in the early hours of the morning on the day she disappeared.

Anyone with any information about Nancy Guthrie's case should call 1-800-CALL-FBI, 520-351-4900, 88-CRIME, or visit https://tips.fbi.gov/.

It was initially thought that the backpack worn by the unidentified suspect, a black, 25-liter "Ozark Trail Hiker Pack," had been purchased directly from Walmart, where it is exclusively sold.

However, Nanos said that authorities now believe the person may have bought the model from another source, such as a resale website like eBay.

"We’ve now learned that maybe it wasn’t purchased out of Walmart," he told NBC correspondent Liz Kreutz. "“That backpack is new, is exclusive to Walmart, but who’s to say I didn’t buy it and put it on eBay? ... That’s what we’re looking at."

Explaining why his department has cut back on its updates about the case, Nanos said this step was taken in order to protect the integrity of the case—and the evidence.

"There’s so much that everybody wants to know, but I would be very neglectful, irresponsible as a police, law enforcement leader, to share that with everybody," he said. "We have information on this case that we think is going to hopefully lead us to solving this case. But it takes time."

Addressing the DNA evidence that was recovered by investigators in Nancy's home, Nanos admitted that cross contamination has made it difficult to extract one single profile, but insisted that work is still ongoing.

He confirmed that authorities are reviewing Ring camera footage that was submitted by two homeowners who live around 2.5 miles away from Nancy and whose security system captured video of multiple vehicles driving on a road that leads directly to the missing 84-year-old's neighborhood.

It has been claimed that the video includes footage of one particular vehicle on the road at 2:36 a.m. on Feb. 1, around the same time that Nancy is thought to have been taken.

Nanos declined to verify these claims, simply stating: "Look, what I would tell you is this: We’re aware of it, and we’re looking into it, just like any other piece of evidence. We’re looking at that vehicle as well as hundreds of thousands of other vehicles that were out driving that time of day."

On March 2, the same day that Nanos' interview was taped, Nancy's daughters, Savannah, and her sister, Annie Guthrie, paid a visit to a makeshift memorial that has been set up outside of the 84-year-old's home in the Catalina Foothills, where they left a note and laid flowers.

Savannah, 54, was seen walking up to the memorial arm-in-arm with her brother-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, and her sister, Annie, before they each laid down some yellow flowers in front of the touching tribute.

Breaking down in tears as they surveyed the many gifts and signs that had been left by members of the community, the trio then shared a warm hug, as seen in video footage taken by NewsNation. Savannah's brother, Cameron, does not appear to have been present.

According to the outlet, Savannah and her loved ones left a note for their mother, which read: "Momma, we miss you so much! Our hearts are broken. We are standing on ash, on scored earth!

"But Mom, though we are surrounded by so much darkness and uncertainty, our love burns bright. We love you Mommy. We miss you so much. Our best friend!!"

Savannah later shared a photo from the memorial on her Instagram Stories, capturing an array of flowers that have been left by visitors, including the yellow blooms that she and her siblings added.

"We feel the love and prayers from our neighbors, from the Tucson community, and from around the country," she wrote. "Please don't stop praying and hoping with us. Bring her home."

Nancy has now been missing for more than one month, having vanished from her home in the early hours of the morning on Feb. 1—the same day that a masked and armed intruder was caught on camera approaching the front door of her home.

That man has not yet been identified, nor have authorities named any prime suspects or persons of interest in the case.

The Guthrie family announced in an Instagram video posted by Savannah on Feb. 24 that they are now offering a $1 million reward to anyone who provides information that leads to the recovery of their missing mother.

While Savannah acknowledged in her video that her mother may have died, she said that her family just wants to know where she is—and to bring her home.

"We still believe in a miracle. We still believe that she can come home," she said. "We also know she may be lost. She may already be gone. She may have already gone home to the Lord that she loves and is dancing in heaven with her mom and her dad and with her beloved brother.

"But we need to know where she is. We need her to come home. For that reason, we are offering a family reward of $1 million for any information that leads to her recovery.

"So please, if you hear this message, if you've been waiting and you haven't been sure, let this be your sign to please come forward, tell what you know and help us bring our beloved mom home so that we can either celebrate a glorious, miraculous homecoming, or celebrate the beautiful, brave, courageous, and noble life that she has lived."

What is the full timeline of Nancy Guthrie's disappearance?

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos noted during a media briefing on Feb. 5 that, while times are approximate, his team has pieced together several pieces of evidence that indicate Nancy's movements—and the timeline of her apparent abduction.

Nancy, 84, was reported missing at around 12 p.m. local time on Feb. 1, around 14 hours after she was dropped off at the property following a family dinner. When she failed to turn up at her usual church gathering on Sunday, her friends alerted her family, who found her home was empty.

SATURDAY, JAN. 31

5:32 p.m. Nancy travels to Annie's house in an Uber for "dinner and playing games with the family."

9:48 p.m. A garage door at Nancy's house opens when she was dropped off at the property by her daughter.

9:50 p.m. The garage door closes, indicating that Nancy was inside the home.

SUNDAY, FEB. 1

1:47 a.m. Nancy's doorbell security camera is disconnected.

2:12 a.m. Movement is detected on a security camera at the home. No footage of this is currently available.

2:28 a.m. Nancy's pacemaker app indicates that the device has been disconnected from her phone.

11:00 a.m. Nancy fails to arrive at the home of a friend, where she had been due to watch a church service livestream.

11:56 a.m. Nancy's family travels to her home to check on her and finds the property empty.

12:03 p.m. The family calls 911 to report Nancy missing.

12:14 p.m. Police officers arrive at Nancy's home.