FBI Director Kash Patel stated that a four-day delay in federal involvement in the investigation of Nancy Guthrie's abduction may have resulted in the loss of crucial video evidence. The delay potentially prevented the recovery of cached footage from Guthrie's Nest doorbell camera, which was on the verge of deletion, Patel told Fox News Digital.

Guthrie, the mother of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, was taken from her Tucson, Arizona, home on February 1. According to Patel, the FBI had to work with Google to recover what little data remained. "We were looking for the needle of all needles in all haystacks, because since she didn't pay for it, they didn't record that data," Patel said. "But there was a chance that it was located in their cache just before it was being deleted."

This process allowed investigators to retrieve some video and still images, which were released on February 10 in an effort to identify a masked suspect. The suspect is described as between 5 feet, 9 inches and 5 feet, 10 inches tall, with a medium build, and was seen wearing a black Ozark Trail backpack. The masked individual appeared on the camera at least twice: once on the day of the abduction and approximately three weeks prior.

Patel suggested that earlier FBI involvement could have potentially recovered additional evidence, such as a suspect vehicle, more footage of the intruder, or imagery from the earlier visit to Guthrie's home. "The longer you wait, there's no chance of recovering the video," said Morgan Wright, CEO and founder of the National Center for Open and Unsolved Cases. "The earlier you get started, the better your chances. Waiting four days may have been fatal to the recovery of some video that could have been more illuminating."

Wright further explained that the recovery of any data from a backend cache that was almost deleted implies that more video likely existed and was subsequently lost. "Timing is always an issue."

Patel asserted that the FBI was prepared to assist from the first day of the investigation but local authorities did not request federal assistance for four days. By the time the FBI became involved, the crime scene had already been released, allowing individuals access to Guthrie's front door where blood was present on the porch. The scene was subsequently secured again for examination.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has disputed Patel's account, stating that a member of an FBI task force was present during the initial stages of the investigation, though this individual was not a federal agent. The sheriff's department declined to comment on the matter.

Authorities continue to investigate Guthrie's kidnapping. Reward money in the case now exceeds $1.2 million. Those with information are encouraged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or 520-88-CRIME.