FBI's Suddenly Increased Reward For Savannah Guthrie's Mom Signals Investigation Struggles, Expert Warns

As the search for "Today" host, Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy, enters its second week, investigators are intensifying their efforts and facing mounting scrutiny.

The FBI doubled its reward to $100,000, released a clearer suspect description, and continues to review tens of thousands of tips.

However, experts are questioning the unusual circumstances of the case, from the lack of proof of life to the possibility that the surveillance footage was staged, raising fresh concerns about what may have happened to Nancy Guthrie.

The FBI's decision to raise the reward to $100,000 in the search for Nancy Guthrie is prompting questions about the status of the investigation.

According to retired FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer, the larger payout could indicate that authorities are seeking stronger assistance from the public.

Speaking to Newsweek, Coffindaffer explained: "When you see a case quiet, where there's no big amount of money offered, that means they are running leads, they really don't need the public's help."

"They need the public's help right now," she noted about Guthrie's case.

The former agent, Coffindaffer, further cautioned that substantial payouts can also generate a flood of "completely bogus" tips.

"You will very seldom see these big reward amounts in comparison to the number of cases the FBI has," she said. "It's because they don't want to get everybody coming out of the woodwork."

Authorities have reportedly received nearly 20,000 tips since Nancy was reported missing, including thousands that came in after surveillance images of a masked individual outside her home were released.

As the search entered its second week, investigators also asked nearby residents to provide any relevant security footage that could aid the ongoing investigation.

The FBI has also released a more detailed description of the "armed individual" seen in the surveillance video at Nancy's home, identifying the suspect as a man approximately 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-10 with an average build.

In the footage, he is seen wearing a black Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack, black gloves, and a balaclava while appearing to tamper with Nancy's Nest doorbell camera.

Investigators said they are carefully reviewing thousands of tips for "credibility and relevance."

Forensic consultant Dr. Ron Martinelli told HELLO! Magazine that the length of the case without a confirmed suspect or proof of life is troubling.

He described the absence of verification from the alleged kidnappers and shifting ransom deadlines as unusual in typical abduction cases.

"I would say that it's unusual that this type of kidnapping has gone on for 12 days," Martinelli said. "The things that really bother me about this case is that there has been no proof of life after 12 days. And then whoever has represented themselves as being the kidnappers keeps moving the date of the ransom… That's extremely unusual, and that's distressing."

Additional expert analysis has further complicated the picture. During a discussion hosted by former "Today" anchor Katie Couric on her Katie Couric Media Substack Live, two former FBI agents examined the now widely circulated doorbell footage.

Kristy Kottis, who spent more than two decades with the Bureau and later supervised a Joint Terrorism Task Force threat squad in New York, said the video struck her as potentially staged.

She pointed to what she described as theatrical elements, including bulky layered clothing, the suspect glancing toward the camera, and a firearm positioned noticeably.

"It was an individual, we don't know whether it's a male or female, showing us what they want us to see," she said, per Parade, questioning whether the person in the footage even entered the home.

Another former agent, Barbara Daly, a 31-year veteran with experience in behavioral threat assessment, emphasized how uncommon adult abductions are. She noted that in her years handling kidnapping cases, only a handful involved adults, typically tied to financial motives, drugs, or revenge.

Daly added that the circumstances surrounding Nancy's disappearance are particularly unusual, given her age and limited mobility.

"To go into a house and try to remove somebody [makes this] a very high-risk crime," she said, adding, "There's usually pre-planning: knowing the person's patterns, whether there are cameras, the layout of the home, the method of egress. We almost never see a spur-of-the-moment [kidnapping]."

Both Daly and Kottis also raised the possibility that whoever is responsible may have been familiar with Nancy's habits.

She noted that carrying out an operation of this magnitude would almost certainly require insight into her "pattern of life," suggesting the individual may have observed her closely or even known her personally.

Although Nancy herself did not maintain a highly public profile, Daly pointed out that her connection to a well-known media figure, her daughter, Savannah, could have led someone to assume access to financial resources. In adult abduction cases, she added, money is often a driving factor.