Tucson, AZ: Nancy Guthrie, mother of the popular “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, was alive and fought her attacker on the front porch before being abducted, according to a 22 year veteran of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Guthrie, whose case has gone unresolved for over three months now and has since slid behind a curtain of international news and headlines, remains a mystery despite several ground breaking clues emerging.
Jim Clemente spent 22 years with the FBI and told Fox News that the blood stains on the front porch indicate that she was alive when she was removed from her home in Catalina Foothills of Tucson, Arizona. Clemente also believes that enough clues were left behind that will eventually lead to his capture.
He also spoke of his analysis of Gurthrie’s blood on the porch and said, “There was a concentration of round droplets near the front door, then a thinning trail toward her driveway.”
He added, “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.”
It is believed that Guthrie was forcefully taken from her home in the early morning hours of February 1st. Initially, little evidence existed as to who, why or how Guthrie was taken. However, authorities were able to recover the Nest footage of the harrowing experience, shedding some light on the mystery.
The video footage revealed a masked man with gloves on and equipped with a handgun approaching her home on the night she disappeared.
Authorities determined the suspect was of average height and was wearing a long sleeve shirt, gloves, a mask, and wearing a black backpack. His identity remains a mystery more than three months from the date of the incident.
It appears the suspect was somewhat careful in the planning of the abduction, as he used nearby vegetation to block the Nest camera.
Despite the little the Nest video revealed, Clemente says it is still full of clues.
"In the process of [blocking the camera], 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," he 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."
Authorities have been keeping details of what occurred inside the home quiet. However, since the incident occurred, some of those details have leaked out, which gave Clemente enough information to form additional hypotheses.
“I believe that what it means is he threatened her with his gun when he was at her bedside," he said. "He got her to come down, and at the front door is where she realized he's going to take me and this is very dangerous and I should fight. And she did."
Is was reported that the Nest camera itself was missing when authorities first arrived at the home. Since the FBI was still able to recover the video footage, that left enough clues for Clemente to form a conclusion about the suspect himself.
“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."
A piece of hair was recovered from the scene and sent to a lab for an analysis. But the findings have yet to be uncovered.
"If it is a hair from the offender, then it will lead to his identification," Clemente said. "They will have his name."
The crime remains unsolved and the reward has reached to over $1 million for information leading to solving the case.
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Writer/author Eddie Molina has over 20 years of combined military and law enforcement experience. Check out other interview articles on his website at www.eddiemolina.com
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