Suspect detained in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie

A person has been detained for questioning over the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the elderly mother of US television host Savannah Guthrie.

A US law enforcement official briefed on the case told Reuters the person was detained in an area south of Tucson on Tuesday.

The breakthrough comes after the FBI released images and CCTV vision of a masked man with a handgun outside Nancy Guthrie's front door the night she disappeared.

The man wearing a backpack and a ski mask can be seen in one of the videos tilting his head down and away from a doorbell camera while nearing an archway at the home of the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie.

The footage shows the person holding a torch in their mouth and trying to cover the camera with a gloved hand and part of a plant ripped from Nancy Guthrie's yard.

The videos - less than a combined minute in length - gave investigators and the public their first glimpse of who was outside Nancy Guthrie's home just outside Tucson, but the images did not show what happened to her or help determine whether the 84-year-old is still alive.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the "armed individual" appeared to "have tampered with the camera".

It was not entirely clear whether there was a gun in the holster.

The videos were pulled from data on "back-end systems" after investigators spent days trying to find lost, corrupted or inaccessible images, Patel said.

"This will get the phone ringing for lots of potential leads," said former FBI agent Katherine Schweit.

"Even when you have a person who appears to be completely covered, they're really not. You can see their girth, the shape of their face, potentially their eyes or mouth."

By Tuesday afternoon, authorities were back near Nancy Guthrie's neighbourhood, using vehicles to block her driveway.

Law enforcement was also going door-to-door in the area where daughter Annie Guthrie lives, talking with neighbours as well as walking through a drainage area and examining the inside of a culvert with a flashlight.

Investigators have said for more than a week that they believe Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will.

She was last seen at home on January 31 and reported missing the next day. DNA tests showed blood on her porch was hers, authorities said.

She has high blood pressure and issues with mobility and her heart, and she needs daily medication, officials have said.

Authorities initially could not pull images from camera

Until now, authorities have released few details, leaving it unclear if ransom notes demanding money with deadlines already passed were authentic, and whether the Guthrie family has had any contact with whoever took Nancy Guthrie.

Savannah Guthrie posted the new surveillance images on social media Tuesday, saying the family believes Nancy Guthrie is still alive and offering phone numbers for the FBI and county sheriff. Within minutes, the post had thousands of comments.

Investigators had hoped cameras would turn up evidence right away about how Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her home in an secluded neighbourhood.

But the doorbell camera was disconnected early on February 1.

Heartbreaking messages by Savannah Guthrie and her family shifted from hopeful to bleak as they made pleas for whoever took Nancy Guthrie.

In a video just ahead of a purported ransom deadline Monday, Savannah Guthrie appeared alone and spoke directly to the public.

"We are at an hour of desperation," she said. "We need your help."

Much of the nation is closely following the case involving the longtime anchor of NBC's morning show.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump watched the new surveillance footage and was in "pure disgust," encouraging anyone with information to call the FBI.

The FBI this week began posting digital billboards about the case in major cities from Texas to California.

Connor Hagan, a spokesperson for the FBI, said Monday that the agency was not aware of ongoing communication between Guthrie's family and any suspected kidnappers. Authorities also had not identified any suspects, he said.

with reuters