Fresno Sheriff's Office Urges Home Camera Use After Abduction

Officials stress the importance of surveillance video for investigations and community safety.

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

After the high-profile abduction of Nancy Guthrie in Tucson, Arizona, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office is reminding the public about the vital role surveillance cameras can play in investigations and community safety. The department emphasizes that having any camera is better than none, as video footage can be essential evidence. However, they caution that cameras must be properly maintained with active subscriptions to store footage long-term.

Why it matters

The Guthrie case highlighted how lack of accessible video footage can hinder investigations, even when a camera is present. The Fresno Sheriff's Office is proactively educating residents on best practices for home security cameras to empower the community and aid law enforcement when crimes occur.

The details

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office public information officer Tony Botti stressed that video is often one of the first things requested by district attorneys when investigating crimes. He advised residents to ensure their home security cameras are properly configured to store footage, even if it requires a subscription service. In the Guthrie case, authorities were able to access some video with help from the FBI and Google, but Botti warned that homeowners shouldn't rely on law enforcement to retrieve footage - they should be able to provide it directly to detectives. The department also uses Ring's 'Neighbors Verified' program to quickly request video from residents near crime scenes.

  • The Guthrie abduction occurred in Tucson, Arizona in 2026.

The players

Tony Botti

Public information officer for the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

Nancy Guthrie

The victim of a high-profile abduction in Tucson, Arizona.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We're so reliant upon video to do our investigations. I know district attorneys' offices, too. It's one of the first things they ask: 'Is there any video?'”

— Tony Botti, Public information officer (yourcentralvalley.com)

“Having one camera is better than none because you never know when it's gonna come and help you out or help a neighbor out, or the community at large.”

— Tony Botti, Public information officer (yourcentralvalley.com)

“The problem they ran into in this investigation was they discovered that she didn't have an active subscription. So basically, the only video was what you could see through a live view.”

— Tony Botti, Public information officer (yourcentralvalley.com)

“You don't want to put yourself in a position where you're waiting and hoping that maybe law enforcement has the pull to go to a Google and mine out that data. You want to be able to just access it right there at your home and give it to the detectives right away.”

— Tony Botti, Public information officer (yourcentralvalley.com)

What’s next

The Fresno Sheriff's Office plans to continue educating the public on the importance of properly configured home security cameras to aid investigations and enhance community safety.

The takeaway

This case highlights how crucial surveillance video can be for law enforcement, and the need for residents to ensure their home security cameras are properly maintained and ready to provide footage to detectives when needed. The Fresno Sheriff's Office is proactively working to empower the community through camera awareness and partnerships like Ring's 'Neighbors Verified' program.