Authorities are attempting to use the device to detect the signal on Nancy's pacemaker over two weeks after she was reported missing
Savannah Guthrie/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on the morning of Feb. 1. Hours before, authorities said they believed she was taken from her home unwillingly, and her pacemaker device was disconnected from her cell phone around 2:28 a.m. local time
- On Sunday, Feb. 15, authorities reportedly deployed a “signal sniffer” in an effort to ping a signal from Nancy’s pacemaker as the search for the 84-year-old mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie enters its third week
- “All we need is one little transmission, and it’s honed in just to her pacemaker’s address. So we’re only seeing Nancy’s address; this 100% could work,” David Kennedy, who invented and provided the device to authorities, said on CNN Monday, Feb. 16
Authorities are using a "signal sniffer" as the search for Nancy Guthrie enters its third week, according to reports.
The tracking tool has been attached to a helicopter in an attempt to detect signals from Nancy’s pacemaker, law enforcement sources told CBS News.
"Nancy has a pacemaker, and in that technology, there's what's called Bluetooth Low Energy, which emits a very non-powerful transmission that you can communicate with your mobile devices for," David Kennedy, a former NSA hacker who created and provided the device to authorities, said during an appearance on CNN Monday, Feb. 16.
He referenced helicopters flying "really low to the ground" near Nancy's home, and noted that the distance to be able to ping a signal from Nancy's pacemaker is "very low."
"So they're sweeping the areas looking for this transmission," Kennedy said. "I was able to confirm that based on the pacemaker she has, it will broadcast every three to four minutes or so with a very small transmission. If authorities are able to capture that and triangulate exactly where Nancy is based off of her pacemaker."
The 84-year-old woman was reported missing on Feb. 1, having been last seen at her Tucson, Ariz., home on Jan. 31. Guthrie's doorbell camera was disconnected at 1:47 a.m., local time. Then, a person on camera was detected at 2:12 a.m. Sixteen minutes later, at 2:28 a.m., Guthrie's pacemaker was disconnected from the pacemaker app on her cellphone, authorities previously said.
The FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Office are working together on the investigation. The FBI didn’t respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Kennedy said on Monday that authorities could use what's called "high gain antennas and amplifiers" to "expand" their reach, as the signal sniffer devices typically only transmit 15 to 35 feet. With an amplifier, a signal's reach can stretch to anywhere between 800 to 1,000 feet.
Using drones instead of helicopters could potentially cover more ground as the search for Guthrie continues, Kennedy added.
"All we need is one little transmission, and it's honed in just to her pacemaker's address. So we're only seeing Nancy's address; this 100% could work," said Kennedy. "You have a lot of area to cover. She could be 1 mile from the house or 100 miles."
The signal from the pacemaker can "continue for multiple years afterwards, even if an individual is deceased," Kennedy said, adding that an amplifier can "cut through" factors like concrete, metal and oversaturation.
Pima County Sheriff's Department
Tracy Walder, a former CIA and FBI agent tells PEOPLE that the signal sniffer is a "new" and "somewhat experimental" form of technology.
"I don’t know how effective it's going to be in finding Nancy’s pacemaker because you have to be just 30 to 100 feet from the pacemaker, it's hard to detect," they add. "So a helicopter has to hover low and slow in one particular area to look for it. I don't think that's practical. They need to know where they are looking."
Officials believe a masked, hooded figure seen on Nancy's doorbell camera kidnapped her in the early morning hours of Feb. 1.
The FBI Phoenix office later shared additional details describing the suspect: "The suspect is described as a male, approximately 5’9” – 5’10” tall, with an average build. In the video, he is wearing a black, 25-liter ‘Ozark Trail Hiker Pack’ backpack."
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a statement on Monday that “The Guthrie family — to include all siblings and spouses — has been cleared as possible suspects.”
On Sunday, Feb. 15, Nancy's daughter, Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, shared an Instagram video, urging "whoever has her or knows where she is" to come forward. "It's never too late," she concluded the emotional video, adding in the caption: "Bring her home. It’s never too late to do the next right thing."
Don Arnold/WireImage
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A $100,000 reward has been offered for any information leading to Nancy's recovery or an arrest in the case.
Anyone with information about Nancy Guthrie's disappearance is asked to please contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Pima County Sheriff’s Department 520-351-4900.
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