Finding Nancy Guthrie: Who’s the Backpack Man? - Ep. 8

Summary

Episode Overview

Title: Finding Nancy Guthrie: Who’s the Backpack Man? (Ep. 8)
Date: February 13, 2026
Host: Lynden Blake, Daily Wire Investigative Reporter
Theme/Purpose:
This episode delivers major updates on the investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today Show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. Lynden Blake details new FBI leads, tensions within law enforcement, the importance of video evidence and forensic methods, and the emotional toll on the Guthrie family. The central focus is on new information regarding the “Backpack Man” seen on Nancy’s doorstep, shedding light on advancing investigative strategies and unresolved agency conflicts.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. FBI Releases Description of “Backpack Man” ([00:11]–[01:20])

• Key Update: FBI gives a physical description of the man seen on Nancy’s doorstep the night she vanished—5’9” to 5’10”, average build, armed, masked, carrying a black backpack.
• New Reward: The reward for information has doubled, now $100,000.
• Notable Lead: The man was seen on doorbell camera tampering with Nancy’s system.

Quote:

“This is an incredible lead for law enforcement and this will reignite every investigator's passion to get this thing moving.”
– Contributor A, [00:02]

2. Tension Between Law Enforcement Agencies ([00:29]–[03:20])

• Jurisdiction Issues: FBI only took control in the past three days due to resistance from local authorities, particularly Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos.
• Evidence Handling Conflict:
  • Sheriff Nanos sends a vital glove to a private lab in Florida, circumventing FBI protocols.
  • FBI may need to retest the glove, causing delays and concern over chain of custody.
• Media Coverage: National news (Fox, TMZ) highlights the law enforcement friction and rumors, including an ominous email reportedly from someone knowing the kidnapper's identity.

Quote:

“I am pretty confident the cooperation, operation level between the sheriff and the FBI is not good.”
– Contributor A, [00:29]

3. Multiple Persons of Interest: The Backpack Man(s) ([03:20]–[04:10])

• Clearing Suspects:
  • Investigators rapidly eliminate another “Backpack Man” caught on camera five miles from Nancy’s home as a suspect.
  • Focus centers on the man from the night of the disappearance due to match in attire and location.
• Public Involvement: The FBI requests help to identify the suspect and encourages public submissions.

4. Crime Scene Forensics: The Tent and the Glove ([04:10]–[10:27])

• Crime Scene Activity:
  • A forensic tent covers Nancy’s front doorstep, site of the camera footage and blood evidence.
  • Investigators possibly use measurement tools for height and shoe size analysis, seeking to solidify the suspect's physical characteristics from security footage.
• Investigative Process:
  • Mike Easter (former FBI agent) explains stages of evidence collection and dynamic responsiveness to new leads.
  • Reference to digital forensics: the “digital imagery and video recovery team” likely on scene.
• Finding Gloves:
  • First reported as a single glove, now confirmed as a set, found 1.5 miles from the house.
  • Expert opinion downplays the likelihood of evidence being planted, emphasizing need to investigate all related leads.

Quotes:

“I would suspect you're probably looking at… the digital imagery and video recovery team. …these investigations come in phases. As new information or leads are developed, the understanding of what is needed to be collected or re-examined takes place in cycles.”
– Mike Easter, [06:13]

“There's an expectation management in these situations and don't get overly hopeful, but still run these things to ground… I think you're definitely just going to see a lot of leads come in for things that are… similar to what was seen in that surveillance video.”
– Mike Easter, [10:27]

5. The Role of Video & Public Tips ([07:01]–[09:06])

• Doorbell Cam as Breakthrough:
  • The footage leads to 4,000+ tips, exponentially expanding investigative avenues.
  • FBI processes each tip via their Guardian system, categorizing and escalating as appropriate.
• Ongoing Video Search:
  • Pima County Sheriff's office requests surveillance from a two-mile radius around the Guthrie house, from Jan 1 to Feb 2—looking to pick up vehicles, unfamiliar faces, or patterns.

Quote:

“They get a call to that 1-800-call FBI number … it's put in the FBI's guardian system. That's where they track all the leads. That lead is given a number... and they follow up on it and say, okay, what is the priority of this?”
– Tom Winter, NBC, [08:30]

6. The Family’s Agony & Continuing Public Appeal ([11:14]–End)

• Savannah Guthrie’s Statement:
  • Savannah posts a childhood video with her mother and siblings, publicly vowing never to give up hope.
  • Host underscores the heartbreak and steadfastness of the Guthrie family.
• Renewed Appeal: Lynden Blake urges the public to call the tip line with information.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “This is an incredible lead for law enforcement and this will reignite every investigator's passion to get this thing moving.”
  – Contributor A, [00:02]
• “I am pretty confident the cooperation, operation level between the sheriff and the FBI is not good.”
  – Contributor A, [00:29]
• “Sheriff Nanos… is sending a glove recovered from inside the home of Nancy's to a private lab in Florida rather than to the FBI's lab in Virginia. Now, the FBI will likely have to retest this evidence. Incredible.” – Lynden Blake, [01:20]
• “Now that we have the… unique characteristics of the suspect… they're going to re-engage behavioral analysts… try to draw out a device that that individual may have been carrying”…
  – Mike Easter, [07:18]
• “The FBI… had 4,000 tips already since that doorbell cam footage was released.”
  – Lynden Blake, [08:00]
• “Our lovely mom. We will never give up on her.”
  – Savannah Guthrie (quoted by Lynden Blake), [11:14]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:02: Law enforcement excitement: Case reaches a major turning point
• 00:29: Tension and poor cooperation between local and federal investigators
• 01:20: FBI takes over; controversy about how evidence is handled
• 03:20: Focus on “Backpack Man,” suspect description and public appeal
• 04:10: Forensic tent, crime scene analysis, and possible evidence collection strategies
• 06:13: Mike Easter explains forensic phases and digital recovery
• 07:01: Importance of video evidence and reconstructing the timeline
• 08:30: Tom Winter describes the FBI’s tip and lead management process
• 09:06: Expansion of video search to two-mile radius and longer date range
• 10:27: Examination and significance of found gloves
• 11:14: Savannah Guthrie’s message and emotional family update

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Episode Tone & Style

The host, Lynden Blake, maintains a grave, urgent, and emotionally empathetic tone, combining investigative rigor with sensitivity to the Guthrie family's ongoing ordeal. Expert contributions (Mike Easter, Tom Winter) provide technical insight, while the coverage of law enforcement quarrels introduces frustration and urgency.

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Summary

Episode 8 of Finding Nancy Guthrie: Who’s the Backpack Man? marks a significant escalation in America’s most talked-about missing person case. With the FBI now spearheading the investigation, fresh leads—particularly the identification of the masked “Backpack Man”—offer renewed hope but also highlight deep operational dysfunction between agencies. As investigators dissect video and physical evidence and the public responds with thousands of tips, the Guthrie family’s resolve and heartbreaking wait underscore the human cost behind the headlines. The plea for information remains urgent, with new details fueling national attention and the search for answers.

Transcript

[A]

I say that the case is almost as red hot as it ever was. This is an incredible lead for law enforcement and this will reignite every investigator's passion to get this thing moving.

[B]

Just announced the FBI has released a description of the man seen on Nancy Guthrie's front doorstep the night she vanished. Also, is there friction between law enforcement in Tucson who is running the investigation?

[A]

I am pretty confident the cooperation, operation level between the sheriff and the FBI is not good.

[B]

A federal source confirms to us that the FBI was just able to take control of this case in the last three days as authorities dig for answers. Investigators cleared a similar backpack man today, but somehow no one close to Nancy has been cleared. And TMZ has received another ominous email from the same person who claims to know the identity of Nancy's kidnapper.

[A]

So this morning, just after 8am Pacific.

[C]

Time, he sent us this other email complaining that he is not being taken seriously.

[B]

I'm Linden Blake, and this is Finding Nancy A Daily Wire True Crime Investigation. It is Thursday, February 12, Day 12 of the search for Nancy Guthrie. A lot of developments this evening in this case. The first one being the FBI has a description of the man seen in the video with a gun on his waist, the mask over his face that was tampering with Nancy Guthrie's doorbell camera the night she vanished. The man's being described as 5, 9 to 5, 10, an average build. And of course, the FBI is wanting someone to identify him. They've upped the reward for any information leading to Nancy or any information about who this person is. It's now $100,000 up from $50,000. And now to another development in this case, which I'm just going to call it. It's insane. Fox is reporting. A US Law enforcement source said that Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is blocking the FBI from key evidence in the Nancy Guthrie case. Sheriff Nanos, well, when he's not at a basketball game, apparently he. He's sending a glove recovered from inside the home of Nancy's to a private lab in Florida rather than to the FBI's lab in Virginia. Now, the FBI will likely have to retest this evidence. Incredible. We've reported tension on the ground that sheriff's deputies, FBI, no one knows who's in charge, and. And it's just an insane situation there between these two agencies. And we were told that a federal law enforcement source told us really that the FBI wasn't able to take over this case to the last three days because they were met with such pushback and tension from the local authorities, not good. So there was a lot of talk today about this other backpack man who was spotted trespassing on camera about five miles away from Nancy Guthrie's house around the same time she disappeared. This guy had on what looked like a gray sweatshirt, but the big thing was he had on a black backpack with reflective stripes that looked very similar to the backpack seen on Nancy's doorbell footage. FBI was looking into it. They ran this to the ground, and they cleared that backpack guy of having any involvement with Nancy's disappearance. Back on the ground at Nancy Guthrie's home on Thursday, a tent went up. Now, this tent, for those who don't follow crime that much, it's one of those white tents. There's curtains, so to speak, on the sides of the tents. And they're meant to obviously shield media, the public, whoever's around the crime scene from what investigators are doing. So this tent went up right at the front of Nancy's house, right there on the doorsteps, where we know that terrifying video is from, where Nancy's blood has been found. That whole area covered up by a tent. So there are a multitude of things that could be going on. One, there was a height measuring stick that was seen being taken away once investigators took the tent down and left. So what they could have been doing behind the tent, measuring the archway, measuring the tiles by the front door, Just trying to get an estimate of how tall that person is in that doorbell camera footage that showed up in the middle of the night with a gun on the waistband, a backpack full of things to Nancy Guthrie's front door. They could also use the tiles there as a measurement for shoes, shoe size. Just trying to get some dimensions for this person in the video. So hopefully it becomes easier for people to recognize the person and to identify this person that was clearly there at Nancy Guthrie's house to do a crime. Another thing that could be going behind the tent, it could just be as simple as they're processing some things, maybe they're bringing things out from the house. We know. We don't know really any details about the crime scene in the house. And that's on purpose. That is something that the person who is responsible for it knows. So that can't be made public. You can't. Everything can't be made public. So they could be doing that. I spoke to former FBI agent Mike Easter about this to give us more insight on the. The type of forensics or just type of investigative work that could be going on behind this white tent.

[A]

I mean, I think you could have two perspectives. Is one a privacy perspective so that clearly you don't see what's happening there. The second one is whatever type of evidence response team that is there, there may be a need to limit or contain something as they examine. I would suspect you're probably looking at divert being there now, which is the digital imagery and video recovery team. I'm sure they've been there from the beginning. But you know, again, I think it's important to remember that these investigations come in phases. And as new information or leads are developed, the understanding of what is needed to be collected or re examined takes place in cycles.

[B]

And back to that jumpstart of the video footage coming out the spring board for all this other evidence and potential evidence that has come up since the doorbell cam footage went out. Mike Easter explained how agents can use that moment and piece together an entire timeline.

[A]

Now that we have the I, I don't want to say the identity but unique characteristics of the suspect. Now we're going. They're going to re engage behavioral analysts, they're going to re engage our digital like cast unit. They're going to re engage them to see if we can't see this same type of person walking somewhere else and then use that as a target location to try to draw out a device that that individual may have been carrying. And of course also try to identify a vehicle this person didn't spawn out of the, out of the ether. Right. I mean they, they had to get dropped off or drive pretty close to this location.

[B]

So I've always said this doorbell cam footage, it seems like day one of the search for me, I know we're on day 12, but it seems like that point getting that person on camera from Nancy's doorbell is when things just started taking off. We know that because FBI, this was as of midday yesterday, had 4,000 tips already since that doorbell cam footage was released. Here's Tom Winter with NBC explaining how they track all those tips, what the.

[C]

FBI has set up, and I've seen this in the past and talked with them in the past about it. They get a call to that 1-800-call FBI number and obviously all the details are taken down and then it's passed along to an analyst. It's put in the FBI's guardian system. That's where they track all the leads. That lead is given a number. Your phone call is given a number and they follow up on it and they say, okay, what is the priority of this? Is this somebody sharing with us some general observations or are they sharing us some information that might be very specific to the investigation and that needs to be worked. Now from there, it's passed along to detectives or to FBI special agents for them to begin to start that investigation.

[B]

And this video collection is apparently expanding. Pima county sheriff said that they're looking for video from anybody within a two mile radius of Nancy's house from January 1st to February 2nd. So even a bigger time frame than just January 11th and January 31st. They're looking for patterns, vehicle, someone that is not supposed to be there. And they're going to look and try to figure out what type of cars are normally at Nancy's house, what type of cars are normally at the neighbor's house, and see if there's anything on those streets that's different. If the neighbors have had a red truck in their yard every single day and you see that go back and forth, then all of a sudden during these suspicious time frames, you see a big green truck that's not normally there. I mean, these are the things that the FBI is just looking into. So another big development there. We now know we told you Wednesday there was a glove, a singular glove that was found near Nancy's home a mile and a half on the side of the road. Well, today we can tell you it was a set of gloves. I talked to Mike Eastermore about this because the gloves were found day 11. Okay. A lot of life has been lived in the community since day 11. But Easter told me he does not think this was something that was planted and it could end up being a really big break in the case.

[A]

There's an expectation management in these situations and don't get overly hopeful, but still run these things to ground. I don't know. I don't like to speculate too much that somebody planted that on purpose to distract or to create a story. I think these things happen in terms of evidence that may be similar to what we see from the video. I think you're definitely just going to see a lot of leads come in for things that are like or similar, similar to what was seen in that surveillance video. And that's what was the ultimate goal of the FBI in releasing that is to generate the public's help in identifying not only the individual, but maybe identifying articles of clothing and the types of clothing the individual is wearing.

[B]

So many questions in this search for Nancy Guthrie, but it seems like a lot of work is being done now to it was heartbreaking. Today Savannah posted this sweet video of her and her mom and her siblings from their childhood. And Savannah said, our lovely mom. We will never give up on her. And again, it just. It breaks your heart to think about what this family is going through. I'm going to leave you with a tip line again for the FBI. If you know anything about this case. Case? The tip line is 1-800- call FBI. I'm Lyndon Blake, and this is Finding Nancy Guthrie. A daily Wire true crime investigation.