Investigators are questioning neighbors about the Internet outage in Guthrie’s case

TUCSON, Ariz. — The team investigating the February abduction of former “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother has reportedly begun questioning neighbors about possible Internet outages the morning of the abduction, prompting speculation that the abductor may have used a Wi-Fi jamming device.

A move like this would add a layer of sophistication to the masked suspect who appeared on the front steps of Nancy Guthrie, 84, carrying a Walmart backpack and an oddly placed holster.

“It shows an incredible amount of planning when they’re used,” said Joshua Ritter, a Los Angeles defense attorney and Fox News contributor.

Neighbors told the Savannah network, NBC, that a team of investigators who swept the area Thursday asked specifically about the Internet outage.

In accordance with NBC Newsa couple who live near Guthrie’s home said they have four cameras on their property, noting that the one closest to the home of the missing 84-year-old man was “off” during the overnight hours of Feb. 1, when he disappeared.

A neighbor said it seemed “extraordinary” that security video wasn’t available at the time. “That’s really weird, isn’t it?” they said.

That sparked speculation about so-called Wi-Fi jammers, which are illegal in the United States under Federal Communications Commission guidelines.

They are not particularly high tech. And they can be found on the Internet – potentially something that investigators can track down.

But the fact that the FBI and Google were able to recover video from Guthrie’s Nest doorbell camera, while the device is not physically present, and has no cloud registration, indicates that the Wi-Fi jammer may not have been installed on his front door.

IS NANCY GUTHRIE’S KIDNAPPERS BACK IN THE CRIME CENTER?

The Wi-Fi jammer used in the alleged hacking incident in February 2025. (West University Place Police)

“If they were using Wi-Fi jammers, I would expect we wouldn’t be able to see any video from the front door cameras,” said Morgan Wright, CEO and founder of the National Center for Open and Unsolved Cases. “I’ve looked at other videos with other hacker groups using a Wi-Fi jammer, and if one had been active and persistent, you wouldn’t have gotten the clear footage we did before.”

Guthrie’s router won’t detect the presence of a signal jammer, unless its internal logs record the sudden disconnection of multiple devices at once, such as Guthrie’s outdoor cameras, Wright said.

“The router will not recognize the jammer as a device,” he told Fox News Digital. “It’s not trying to connect… All an RF (radio frequency) jammer does is fill a frequency band with noise so legitimate signals can’t be recorded.”

FOX NEWS CRIME NEWSLETTER: NEW NANCY GUTHRIE VIDEO, CALEB FLYNN CURSES, MISSING MOTHER ARRESTED

These two photos were released by the FBI, found on Nancy Guthrie’s Nest doorbell camera. It is not clear whether they are showing the same person. (FBI)

So unless the router in Guthrie’s home installed a circuit breaker, which isn’t all make and model, the jammer wouldn’t have a digital footprint for investigators to uncover, he said.

“Whether investigators can find a jammer — the answer is almost certainly no,” Wright said. “It works at the radio layer. The router records events at the network layer.”

Jammers spam the airwaves at the same frequency as Wi-Fi devices, disrupting their Internet connection.

DNA AWAITED AS VOLUNTEERS GET ANOTHER GLOVE SEARCHING FOR NANCY GUTHRIE

Annie Guthrie, her husband Tommaso Cioni, and Savannah Guthrie at the home of their missing mother Nancy Guthrie on Monday, March 2, in Tucson, Arizona. (Fox Stories)

Early adopters of home Wi-Fi may experience similar interruptions when making calls on a wireless landline while using the Internet. People living in overcrowded apartments can experience disturbance from their neighbors. More advanced routers are more resistant to conflicting signals.

Commercial jammers have a range of 10 to 30 yards, Wright said, and are most effective when close to the victim’s lane. If you’re from far away, they can cause lag and flicker – but they may not completely turn off the camera’s signal.

Although the devices used by the military and the US Secret Service have the widest range, they are also larger and use more power.

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X

Members of the media work outside the home of Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Caitlin O’Hara)

For that reason, he said it is unlikely that the neighbors will see the impact from the jamming device planted in Guthrie’s home.

“When they say, ‘I’m having an internet problem,’ it has nothing to do with the RF jammer,” he said of the neighbors. “That RF jammer would have to be high-powered, military-grade equipment to affect the neighborhood.”

SUBSCRIBE FOR CRIME NEWS

Wi-Fi routers have no effect on wired security cameras or alarm systems. Some wireless cameras can store video locally and upload it when the interrupted connection is restored. It depends on the make and model.

Jammers have been used by organized hacking rings to defeat home security systems in recent months, including a group linked to South America that was attacked in Houston, Texas, last month. The same gang has ties to similar thefts in California, New York, Florida and Wisconsin, according to authorities.

The flash versions of the photos released by the FBI, show the “subject” at Nancy Guthrie’s location. (Courtesy of the FBI)

SEND US A TIP HERE

“We all know that South American gangs have been using them in burglaries across the country,” said Lisa Miller, a retired detective and law enforcement officer with the Colorado Attorney General’s Office.

“I think it’s a reasonable idea but it’s not possible,” he told Fox News Digital. “Here’s why: The video of this porch monster released by the FBI didn’t show any damage. I mean, even the laptops in the police cars were damaged during a traffic stop by the person who hit the jammer.”

LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME AND JUSTICE PODCAST WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’

Savannah Guthrie attends the Today show at Rockefeller Plaza in New York on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

The antenna seen in the suspect’s pocket in that Nest video may have been part of a handheld radio, he said.

“I think it’s smarter to use that than a hotline,” he said. “Criminals know what the FBI… can do. Well, I suggest, based on experience, and it’s consistent with my theory, that monster on the porch had a friend.”

LIKE WHAT YOU READ? FIND OUT MORE ON TRUE CRIME

Some experts are also skeptical based on the additional level of sophistication a jammer can bring.

“If they were forward enough to buy and use one of these vehicles, I think they would have done better than what we saw at the front door,” said Betsy Brantner Smith, a retired police sergeant and spokeswoman for the National Police Association. “It’s certainly possible, but that would require such advanced thought and action – which brings it back to the person who knew him and directed him directly.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM

On the other hand, if the suspect knew him well enough, they would have known that he didn’t have the cloud to subscribe to the cameras he had.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department declined to comment on any internet disruptions that may have occurred in Guthrie’s area at the time of the abduction.

Related Article