Retired FBI Profiler Says Nancy Guthrie Alive When Abducted from Tucson Home

TUCSON, Ariz. Blood spatter on Nancy Guthrie's front porch indicates she was still alive when a lone abductor forced her from her home in Tucson's Catalina Foothills, a retired FBI profiler said.

Jim Clemente, who spent 22 years in the bureau, analyzed the blood pattern. Round droplets concentrated near the front door thinned into a trail toward the driveway. "We also know at least that she was alive at that time," Clemente said.

"She must have aspirated and then coughed up blood with her face very close to the ground, and I don't believe that would have happened had two people been carrying her at that point," he told Fox News Digital.

Guthrie, 84-year-old mother of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, disappeared from her home around 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 1. FBI and Google recovered Nest doorbell camera footage showing a masked man in gloves and a holstered pistol at her front steps that night.

The suspect stands above average height and build. He wore a black Ozark Trail backpack, long sleeves, gloves and a ski mask. He remains unidentified nearly 100 days later.

The video holds clues, Clemente said. The suspect scouted the location beforehand but used foliage to block the camera lens. He potentially shed facial hair through his mask.

"In the process of doing that, I believe he revealed what looked like a tattoo on his wrist, which would not have been revealed had he adequately prepared for that camera being there," Clemente said. "So it tells me that he is not a sophisticated offender. He was sort of bumbling his way through this, and he made other mistakes, and I believe those mistakes will directly lead to his capture."

Details from inside the home suggest the intruder threatened Guthrie with his gun at her bedside, Clemente said. She came downstairs, then fought at the front door when she realized the danger.

Doorbell video does not show her removal, but blood marked the stone walkway. Deputies found the camera missing the next morning. FBI recovery of the footage likely surprised the kidnapper, Clemente said. His stress after images released could alert those around him.

"Because of all the mistakes this guy made, because of his ineptness and non-professional behavior in this, I believe that he exhibited a great degree of stress when the images were first released," Clemente said. "Anybody around him should have noticed that change in behavior and potentially be able to identify him because of that."

An unidentified hair sample came from the home. The Pima County Sheriff's Department sent it to a private Florida lab, which forwarded it to the FBI after 11 weeks for advanced analysis.

"If it is a hair from the offender, then it will lead to his identification," Clemente said. "They will have his name."

A combined reward exceeds $1.2 million for information solving the case. To stay anonymous, call Tucson's 88-Crime tip line at (520) 882-7463 or 1-800-CALL-FBI.