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Helicopter-Mounted Bluetooth Signal Sniffer Deployed in Search for Nancy Guthrie

The search now centers on detecting her pacemaker’s Bluetooth Low Energy beacons using airborne equipment.

Overview

  • Law enforcement fitted the custom tracking tool to a low-flying helicopter this week to sweep areas of interest around Tucson, according to CBS News.
  • Authorities say Guthrie’s pacemaker disconnected from its phone app at 2:28 a.m., indicating a BLE-enabled implant that emits periodic signals.
  • Inventor David Kennedy, a former NSA hacker and CEO of TrustedSec, says tests with amplification and high‑gain antennas extended detection to roughly 800 feet, with faster coverage possible from drones.
  • Kennedy says the pacemaker transmits every two to three minutes, enabling potential triangulation, but obstacles and any device damage could sharply limit detection.
  • Kennedy says he has iOS and Android apps that could crowdsource scans if the implant’s specific address is confirmed, as investigators continue to field tens of thousands of leads.