Nancy Guthrie remains missing as the investigation into her disappearance enters its third week. The latest development in the search for its way home involves a crucial piece of DNA.
Authorities have confirmed that DNA found on the black glove recovered near Guthrie’s home matches gloves worn by the suspect captured in surveillance footage at his front door.
Article continues below advertisement
Positive DNA match between gloves worn by suspect Nancy Guthrie and those found near her home
According to TMZ, an FBI spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that a black glove, previously recovered in the area near Nancy’s home, contains a positive DNA match to the gloves worn by the man seen in surveillance footage outside the 84-year-old’s home the morning of her disappearance.
The FBI said a total of 16 gloves were recovered from the area around his home, but the majority of them were gloves worn by volunteer searchers who discarded them outside during their search efforts.
“The one with the recovered DNA profile is different and appears to match the subject’s gloves in the surveillance video,” the FBI said in a statement, according to TMZ.
Article continues below advertisement
The DNA results were received on Saturday, February 14 and will be quality checked within the next 24 hours before being entered into the FBI’s national DNA database.
Article continues below advertisement
Sheriff in case offers disheartening update on search for Nancy Guthrie
On Friday, February 13, Sheriff Chris Nanos of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said via the New York Times that the search for Guthrie could take much longer than his loved ones hoped.
“Maybe it will be in an hour,” Nanos said. “Maybe it’ll be weeks or months or years from now. But we won’t stop. We’ll find Nancy. We’ll find this guy.”
His comments come days after authorities arrested and released several people for questioning in the case, with no concrete evidence linking them to Guthrie’s disappearance.
Article continues below advertisement
Reports of tensions between Savannah Guthrie and local authorities have circulated
According to reports, while speaking to Fox News, Sheriff Nanos revealed that he recently contacted Savannah about the investigation, but she allegedly told him that “she had her own people and didn’t need him.”
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has been investigating Guthrie’s disappearance since the beginning, but has also been criticized for allegedly botching search and recovery efforts.
Article continues below advertisement
“Basically, the FBI just wanted to send one or two men found near the crime scene, the closest to it – a mile, a mile and a half… I said, ‘No, why do that? Let’s send them all to where all the DNA and all the profiles and all the markers exist.’ They agreed, it makes sense,” Nanos said, according to KVOA.
Authorities have already announced an investigation into an additional suspect
On February 12, new video was revealed of a man recorded 5 miles from Guthrie wearing similar clothing and items to the man captured via Nest video at Guthrie’s home when she disappeared, according to TMZ.
The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department are currently taking a close look at the new footage, and the man in the images is on their radar.
At this time, it is unclear if the person in the new footage is the same person seen in the home video or if there are multiple people.
Authorities said they noticed the man in the recent footage, which was captured via Ring camera, was carrying what appears to be a backpack similar to that of the first potential suspect, and both sets of images were recorded around the time Guthrie disappeared.
Article continues below advertisement
According to the outlet, the backpack in question has been confirmed to be an Ozark Trail Hiker sold by Walmart.
Former FBI agent discusses theory that Nancy Guthrie surveillance footage could be ‘staged’
During a recent episode of her Katie Couric Media Substack Live, former “Today” show host Katie Couric interviewed two retired FBI agents regarding Guthrie’s case, according to Parade.
One of the officers, Kristy Kottis, said she thought the surveillance footage “looked like a staged video,” largely because of the suspect’s behavior.
Kottis specifically pointed out the individual’s heavily layered clothing, the brief moment they looked directly toward the camera, and the way the gun was placed in front of the suspect’s waist, making his presence obvious.
“It was an individual, we don’t know if it was a man or a woman, who was showing us what he wanted us to see,” she explained.