Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie, has now been missing for more than 80 days after her abduction from her home in the Catalina Foothills area of Tucson, Arizona, and a former FBI agent has suggested that 'family loyalty' and fear may be protecting the masked suspect known only as 'Porch Guy.'

Speaking publicly about the Nancy Guthrie case, retired agents have argued that people who may recognise the man seen on doorbell footage are staying silent, despite a collective reward of more than $1.2 million (£890,000).

Former FBI special agent Jennifer Coffindaffer has been blunt in her assessment of why the Nancy Guthrie case appears frozen. Posting on X on 23 April, she laid out several reasons she believes witnesses are staying quiet, centering on divided loyalties and a deep mistrust of authorities.

Coffindaffer said it was 'very possible' that people who know the suspect simply have not seen the footage or do not realise it is connected to Guthrie's disappearance.

Nancy Guthrie- Why hasn't anyone turned in Porch Guy? We'll take a deep dive.https://t.co/cEbwEjgjmp

Her second scenario is that those who have seen the video and still kept silent are 'fiercely loyal.' She floated the idea that a parent, partner or sibling could recognise the masked man and still choose to protect him, knowing what that would mean if they came forward.

'It could be brother, it could be husband, but you know. But there's no way you're going to say,' she said, arguing that a relative might stay quiet if they believed he could face the death penalty.

Coffindaffer did not stop at loyalty. She also suggested that some people might be 'fiercely afraid' of the man dubbed Porch Guy.

In her words, someone close to him could be following every update, 'watching the case', and still decide, 'No way in hell you're coming forward,' because they fear they could be 'next' if he suspects them of talking to police.

That fear sits awkwardly beside the money on the table. Savannah Guthrie has offered a $1 million (£740,000) reward for information, with a further $100,000 (£73,766) from the FBI and another $100,000 (£73,766) from a local tip line. Even that, Coffindaffer argued, may not be enough.

Source: International Business Times UK