Residents of a quiet Arizona neighborhood were left shaken by another shocking crime last week, when a masked thief was caught on camera stealing potted cacti from a front porch. The incident occurred in the Catalina Foothills, the same area where 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, disappeared from her home on February 1.
Brazen Theft Caught on Camera
Ring doorbell footage obtained by KVOA showed a gray Ford F-150 pulling up to a home just before 11 p.m. on April 29. Moments later, a man wearing gloves, a face mask, and a baseball cap exited the vehicle, walked toward the front of the house, and loaded several potted cacti into the truck bed.
The homeowner posted the video to the Ring app, and it quickly circulated through the neighborhood, which has seen an increased police presence since Nancy's disappearance. “It is someone walking on your property late at night, uninvited,” said Jeff Lamie, a local resident. “It might be a small crime, but committing a crime ... it is disturbing.”
No Connection to Missing Person Case
There is no indication that the cactus theft is connected to Nancy Guthrie's disappearance. However, the neighborhood remains on edge. Disturbing Nest doorbell camera footage from Nancy's $1 million home showed an armed, masked figure wearing black latex gloves tampering with the camera the night she vanished.
Nancy was last seen entering her home on the evening of January 31 after dinner with her daughter Annie and son-in-law Tommaso Cioni. She was reported missing the next morning after failing to attend a virtual church service.
Ransom Notes and Ongoing Investigation
The Guthrie family has received ransom notes demanding Bitcoin in exchange for information about Nancy's whereabouts. Some notes were sent to TMZ, which reported receiving a new one as Savannah returned to the Today Show last month. One note claimed to have seen Nancy alive in Sonora, Mexico, while an earlier note said she was dead.
The FBI is skeptical about the notes' legitimacy, as the Bitcoin address has received no deposits since it was created in February. The sender offered information for half a Bitcoin, with the other half to be paid as public interest grows. They also claimed to have been out of the US for five years and had nothing to do with the crime.
Savannah Guthrie returned to the Today Show in March after spending two months in Arizona during the search. She was greeted by supporters wearing yellow ribbons and carrying signs of hope. “These signs are so beautiful, you guys have been so beautiful,” she said, wiping away tears. “We feel it, we feel your prayers.”
The Pima County Sheriff's Department continues to investigate Nancy Guthrie's disappearance and has not confirmed any connection between the recent theft and the missing person case.
