Investigators hope to catch signals from Nancy Guthrie's pacemaker

"The heart-rate-regulating device was disconnected from an app on Guthrie's phone at 2:28 a.m. on Feb. 1, shortly after doorbell camera footage detected a person on her front porch. The app on Guthrie's phone, which was left at her home in Tucson, picked up data transmitted from her pacemaker via Bluetooth. But pacemakers still attempt to transmit that data, even if someone is separated from their mobile device, according to digital forensics experts."

"With that in mind, investigators are turning to novel technology to help detect any signals still being transmitted by Guthrie's pacemaker. Her device has six or seven years of its decade-long battery life remaining, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said, citing information provided by the manufacturer. Nanos declined to identify the manufacturer but said the company has been working with the FBI and engineers to figure out ways to track signals from Guthrie's device."

"For weeks, investigators have run into challenges while collecting evidence, leading to delays in sharing information about the alleged abduction with the public. It took 10 days for Nanos's department and the FBI to release the first images of a suspect, which were retrieved through the aid of private companies because Guthrie did not have a subscription attached to the doorbell camera that would have allowed more immediate access to the video storage."

Search efforts for Nancy Guthrie extend into a third week with investigators focusing on her pacemaker. The pacemaker's connection to an app on Guthrie's phone was disconnected at 2:28 a.m. on Feb. 1, soon after doorbell footage recorded a person on the front porch. The phone, left at Guthrie's Tucson home, captured Bluetooth-transmitted pacemaker data; experts say pacemakers keep attempting transmissions even when separated from a mobile device. The device has an estimated six to seven years of battery life remaining. The manufacturer, the FBI, Apple, and Google/Nest are assisting to detect or track pacemaker signals. Evidence collection faced delays, and releasing suspect images required private-company assistance because there was no doorbell subscription.

Read at The Washington Post