Investigators searching for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, say they are analysing “biological evidence” recovered during renewed searches of her home in Tucson, Arizona, as the case enters a third week without an arrest.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said DNA profiles linked to the newly recovered material were under laboratory analysis, without disclosing what the evidence is or when it was first found. Angelica Carrillo, a spokesperson for the department, said by email that: “The number of profiles, and other related details remain part of the active investigation.”
Sheriff Chris Nanos has indicated investigators believe the sample could prove significant if it can be isolated and compared against existing databases or used in genetic genealogy work. Speaking on NBC’s “Today”, Nanos said: “We believe that we may have some DNA there that may be our suspect, but we won’t know that until that DNA is separated, sorted out, maybe admitted to CODIS, maybe through genetic genealogy.”
Authorities have said Guthrie was last seen at her Arizona home on 31 January and was reported missing the following day, 1 February. Investigators have treated the disappearance as an abduction, citing blood found at the property and surveillance video showing a masked person at the front door overnight.
In the same “Today” interview, Nanos said he believed the suspect had selected a target and was working to avoid detection. “I think this was an individual who had a target for whatever reason, and he has made it tough, but I’ve got some pretty tough investigators, too,” he said.
The sheriff has also sought to narrow speculation around the family, saying relatives are not suspects. In a statement quoted by the Associated Press, Nanos said: “The family has been nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case.”
Investigators have previously disclosed several other forensic efforts that have not produced immediate matches. Nanos has said DNA recovered from a black glove found about two miles from the home did not match profiles in the federal DNA database, and that earlier DNA recovered at the house also did not produce a match.
Law enforcement has placed particular emphasis on imagery recovered from the home’s doorbell camera system. On 10 February, FBI Director Kash Patel posted still images and information about recovered footage, saying it came from “residual data located in backend systems”. Patel wrote that it showed “an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance.”
The video released by the FBI shows a masked figure at the front door carrying a backpack and wearing gloves and a holster. Police have said the individual appears to approach the door and attempt to conceal the camera. The footage has become central to efforts to identify clothing and equipment that might be traceable to a purchase or location.
One item, a 25-litre Ozark Trail Hiker backpack, has been singled out by the sheriff’s department as a key lead because it is sold exclusively at Walmart. Nanos told the Associated Press in a text message that the backpack was the only item “definitively identified,” adding: “This backpack is exclusive to Walmart and we are working with Walmart management to develop further leads.”
CBS News reported that investigators obtained Walmart records relating to Ozark Trail Hiker online and in-store purchases over recent months, including sales beyond the Tucson area, as detectives reviewed surveillance video at local stores. The sheriff’s department has said other clothing seen on the suspect “may have been purchased from Walmart but is not exclusively available at Walmart,” and described that as “a possibility only.”
Authorities have not publicly named a suspect, nor said whether the case involves a single offender or more than one person. They have also warned that biological evidence can take time to process and may include material that does not belong to an offender, particularly in a home environment where visitors, workers, or search personnel may have left trace DNA.
Even so, Nanos suggested investigators view DNA work at the home as more productive than items recovered away from the scene. “Now, we start with genealogy and some of the partial DNA we have at the home. To me, that’s more critical than any glove I found two miles away,” he said, according to the “Today” interview.
Public appeals have intensified as the days have passed. Savannah Guthrie and her family have made repeated pleas for information and for the safe return of the missing grandmother, as vigils have formed near the neighbourhood. Police have asked residents and businesses to review any camera footage from the relevant overnight hours and to report suspicious activity.
Reward money has grown as the investigation has drawn national attention. The FBI’s Phoenix Field Office initially announced a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to Guthrie’s recovery or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved, according to a notice on the FBI website. Subsequent reports said the bureau later offered $100,000, separate from local programmes.
Local authorities have also said a separate reward pool has increased following an anonymous donation. FOX 10 Phoenix reported that 88-CRIME received a $100,000 donation, raising that programme’s reward to $102,500, in addition to the FBI reward. AZPM reported the sheriff’s department announced the $102,500 reward linked to the anonymous donation, while noting the investigation would not confirm other operational details such as foreign coordination requests.
Despite the money and the public attention, investigators have cautioned that tips still must be verified and that forensic work moves in stages. Nanos has acknowledged in interviews that there has been no public “proof of life” and no definitive evidence confirming death, as authorities continue to search and test items associated with the home and the surrounding area.
For detectives, the latest emphasis on “biological evidence” underscores how the case may hinge on whether labs can isolate a usable profile from the scene and connect it to a person or family line. If a clean profile can be developed and uploaded to CODIS, it could potentially generate a match to an offender already in the system. If not, investigators may still attempt genetic genealogy, depending on what the profile yields and what legal pathways are available.
Officials have said the investigation remains active and that they will not release details that could compromise searches, alert a suspect, or generate false leads. For now, the central facts have not changed: Nancy Guthrie has been missing since 1 February, surveillance video shows a masked, armed figure at her door overnight, and authorities say they are working through evidence that may finally help identify who took her and where she is.
