Chilling images of man on doorstep of US TV anchor's missing mum

Pictures of a masked man on the doorstep of US TV anchor Savannah Guthrie's missing mother Nancy have been released for the first time, as the urgent search for her continues.

FBI Director Kash Patel posted the images online early this morning (Australia time), saying they had been recovered "from residual data located in backend systems".

"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, corrupted, or inaccessible due to a variety of factors - including the removal of recording devices," Patel wrote on X.

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"Working with our partners - as of this morning, law enforcement has uncovered these previously inaccessible new images showing an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie's front door the morning of her disappearance."

The images and video show a man wearing gloves, long sleeves, pants, and with a balaclava over his face, apparently attempting to block the door camera at the home, including by holding up a handful of plants.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, is believed to have been abducted from her home in Tuscon, Arizona, on January 31, and was reported missing when she failed to attend church the next day.

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Her daughter, journalist and long-term co-anchor of the US Today television news program Savannah Guthrie, has issued repeated pleas for information and even appealed to the presumed kidnappers, offering to pay a ransom.

Law enforcement investigating Nancy's disappearance have confirmed they had received some demands for ransom from different sources, but have not said if any of them are considered credible.

In a number of video messages released in the days since their mothers' disappearance, Nancy Guthrie's children, including Savannah, appear to have addressed the kidnappers, including one video in which Savannah says, "We have received your message" before pleading for her mother's return.

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However, law enforcement say they are unaware of any ongoing communication between the Guthries and any purported kidnappers.

Nor have investigators identified any persons of interest in the case.

In her latest message yesterday, Savannah Guthrie, this time speaking alone, appealed to the public for the first time, asking anybody who noticed anything suspicious to report it to law enforcement immediately.

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

"We need your help."

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