FBI investigators recovered footage from Nancy Guthrie’s forcibly removed Google Nest Doorbell camera using “residual data” in Google’s backend systems, despite the device having no cloud subscription.
Nancy, the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing on Feb. 1. Power to her home had been cut before her disappearance, and without a paid subscription, footage from her doorbell camera was not automatically saved.
More than a week later, authorities released the footage, showing a masked person in gloves, carrying a backpack and a gun, approaching Guthrie’s home just before she vanished.
In a post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department had collaborated with private-sector partners “to recover any images or video footage that may have been lost, corrupted, or inaccessible due to a variety of factors—including the removal of recording devices.”
“The video was recovered from residual data located in backend systems,” he added.
New images in the search for Nancy Guthrie:
Over the last eight days, the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department have been working closely with our private sector partners to continue to recover any images or video footage from Nancy Guthrie’s home that may have been lost,… pic.twitter.com/z5WLgPtZpT
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) February 10, 2026
How the FBI recovered the video remains unclear. Experts told NBC News that in some cases, data can be recovered from the complex infrastructure of cloud-connected cameras.
The Verge noted in its report that the recovery underscores the value of security cameras in solving crimes but also raises privacy concerns about how “lost” footage was accessed.
“Deleted footage stored in the cloud can be recovered, but in this case, it was probably very difficult, and the resources to do so were likely made available only because of the case’s high profile,” The Verge wrote.
NBC News reported that the Pima County Sheriff’s Department has received more than 4,000 calls since the FBI released photos and video of a possible suspect in Nancy’s disappearance.
I say if she lived alone & it is dark where she lives, why would anyone think of pacing motion light detectors there on the property that go on when someone goes close to the property .I would put solar spot light on a few trees ,& some buy the house that talk to scare people away. that will make someone think
if I were the family I would go there right now & put the motion security light on there now .I would allow sheriff to investigate the nurses company medical team etc, that would link them to any medical supplies she receives. all these smart devices & nothing was caught. either someone was hacking them to be able to get to her. or it is someone that knows them God in heaven I hope they find her she is probably terrified