Nancy Guthrie’s neighbor noticed ‘atypical’ pet behavior night of disappearance, earlier date: report
A neighbor of Nancy Guthrie says his dogs woke him in the middle of the night on two dates now under scrutiny, behavior he described as unusual, including the night authorities believe she was abducted.
Jeff Lamie, who lives a few houses from Guthrie’s Catalina Foothills home, told "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace" that his dogs woke him and wanted to be let outside on Jan. 11 and again in the early morning hours of Feb. 1.
Lamie said the late-night activity stood out because it was not normal for his dogs.
"Oh, just waking me up at that hour," Lamie said when asked what was unusual. "That’s what was atypical. Actually, it hasn’t happened since."
Guthrie, 84, the mother of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, disappeared the night of Jan. 31 after returning home from dinner with family and was reported missing Feb. 1 after she failed to show up for church.
Authorities believe she was taken from her home during the early morning hours of Feb. 1.
Lamie said his dogs woke him a little after 1 a.m. that morning. He took them into the courtyard behind his home and did not hear or see anything unusual at the time.
"But the dogs did rouse and I took them out. There’s an image of me on camera. I didn’t hear nothing or saw nothing, but you know, animals can be, especially dogs can be hypersensitive and we don’t know if there’s a correlation," Lamie said. "We’ve shared it and whether it helps with timeline or in any way, we hope it is of some value."
He said he only later realized the possible significance after investigators asked neighbors to review video.
"And human nature, we just filed it away and didn’t really think about this until we were asked to review our video and then had this recollection and saw this correlation, which was very unusual," he said.
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Lamie said that when he later reviewed the video, he noticed one of the dogs appeared to look off into the distance and become briefly focused before moving on.
He said the behavior happened on both Jan. 11 and the night of Jan. 31 into Feb. 1.
His account comes as investigators increasingly focus on Jan. 11, a date Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said may be significant, though its role in the case remains unclear.
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"We do believe that something occurred on Jan. 11," Nanos told KOLD 13 News, while cautioning the information is not definitive.
Authorities have asked residents within roughly a two-mile radius of Guthrie’s Tucson-area home to review surveillance video from Jan. 1 through Feb. 2, with particular attention to Jan. 11.
Nanos has also said investigators are focused on that date for a reason separate from the security footage already released.
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Guthrie’s doorbell camera disconnected at 1:47 a.m. on Feb. 1, according to Nanos. Video shows a masked figure wearing long sleeves and gloves with an Ozark Trail backpack who appeared to have a holstered pistol.
The last time Guthrie’s pacemaker synced with her phone was 2:28 a.m., narrowing the window in which investigators believe she was taken.
Still, Nanos has emphasized there is no confirmation the individual seen in released video was at the home on Jan. 11, noting missing timestamps make it difficult to verify.
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Lamie’s interview also underscored challenges in the neighborhood.
He said most home surveillance systems capture only front doors, garages and courtyards, not wider views beyond the property lines, and described the area as dense with cactus, rock and brush.
"With the size of the lots and where the cameras are situated, they capture your home and entrance points, but they do not capture much beyond that," Lamie said.
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He also described a utility road and a rough cut-through route behind homes that neighbors say was once used by schoolchildren, adding that navigating the area at night would be difficult.
Lamie said investigators reviewing his system found two cameras marked "offline" during the timeframe in question, and he could not say whether that was meaningful or a coincidence.
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He added that his wife recalled noticing a vehicle parked on Guthrie’s street the evening before the disappearance, though she had few details.
Additional dates, including Jan. 24, are also under review as authorities work to build out a fuller timeline.
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Despite weeks of investigation, no suspect has been publicly identified. Nanos has said forensic evidence collected inside the home, including DNA, has not produced a clear lead.
Still, authorities say the case remains active.
"We have so much in front of us. And we believe we have good evidence in front of us," Nanos told KOLD. "Will that dry up? Could I be wrong? Absolutely. Anything is possible, but we’re not giving up."
Over the weekend, Guthrie’s family issued a renewed plea to the public.
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"No detail is too small," the family said, urging residents to recheck surveillance footage, messages and memories. "Someone knows something."
The FBI describes the suspect as a man about 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-10 with a medium build. Investigators have not ruled out that more than one person could be involved.
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The Pima County Sheriff’s Office is also warning about potential scams. In a notice posted Tuesday, the agency said there is no official GoFundMe or fundraising effort tied to the Guthrie investigation, and any claims suggesting otherwise are fraudulent. Authorities urged the public not to send money and to remain vigilant.
A reward of more than $1 million is being offered for information leading to Guthrie’s recovery.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Fox News Digital's Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.