Investigators searching the Catalina Foothills home of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of "Today" show anchor Savannah Guthrie, have uncovered biological evidence that does not belong to her. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said Wednesday morning that the DNA could belong to the person who took her.
Nanos appeared on "Today" to deliver the update, telling the audience directly:
"We believe that we may have some DNA there that may be our suspect."
The Pima County Sheriff's Department confirmed it is "analyzing biological evidence" but offered little else, stating that the number of DNA profiles and related details "remain part of the active investigation." Sources told the New York Post that DNA evidence was uncovered at the home, and a department spokesperson confirmed it is "all part of the investigation."
Nancy Guthrie has been missing since Feb. 1, when she was reported gone from her residence north of Tucson, Arizona. She was last seen the evening of Jan. 31, when her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, dropped her off after dinner with him and her daughter Annie. That was the last confirmed sighting of the 84-year-old grandmother.
The investigation has now stretched into its third week, and law enforcement has been working from an uncomfortably thin evidence trail, according to the New York Post. Doorbell camera footage from the night Guthrie vanished captured an image of a suspect, but no one has been identified or named. FBI Director Kash Patel released surveillance images of that suspect on Tuesday, Feb. 10, broadening the effort to put a name to the figure on camera.
The new DNA discovery came after investigators went back through Guthrie's home with what was described as a fine-tooth comb, more than two weeks after her disappearance. It is not clear what the biological evidence specifically is, when exactly it was discovered, or whether it has been shared with the FBI. Nanos indicated that authorities will not be able to confirm whether the sample belongs to the suspect until it is "separated, sorted out."
This is the second time DNA has surfaced in the investigation without producing a match. Earlier in the week, Nanos told Fox News that a discarded black glove found roughly two miles from Guthrie's home yielded DNA that did not return matches in the federal DNA database. Separate DNA found earlier inside the home also failed to match FBI records. More than a dozen gloves were collected near the main highway in that search, but the FBI determined most had been dropped by searchers during the initial effort to find Guthrie.
Investigators have also pursued a lead involving an Ozark Trail Hiker backpack and a gun holster linked to the suspect. CBS News previously reported that the suspect's clothing, including the holster, a mask, and other items, was sold by Walmart. In response, Walmart handed over all purchase records for the backpack from the past several months, covering both online and in-store transactions beyond just the local area. Investigators spent hours reviewing surveillance footage at Tucson-area Walmart locations.
Betsy Brantner Smith of the National Police Association told the Post that the backpack and holster could be one of the most "promising" leads yet for detectives working the case.
One element of the investigation was resolved Monday, when Nanos issued a public statement putting to rest any speculation about the family's involvement:
"To be clear … the Guthrie family — to include all siblings and spouses — has been cleared as possible suspects in this case. The family has been nothing but cooperative and gracious, and are victims in this case."
That statement was notable for its directness. In high-profile missing persons cases, family members are routinely scrutinized, and Nanos clearly wanted to shut that door before public suspicion could fester. Cioni, the last person to see Nancy alive, has been cleared along with every other family member.
The core question remains unchanged: who is the figure on the doorbell camera, and where is Nancy Guthrie? The DNA discovery is potentially significant, but only if it leads to a match. Two prior samples have already come back empty from federal databases. If the suspect has no prior criminal record and no existing profile in the system, even confirmed DNA may function as a future identification tool rather than an immediate breakthrough.
What the investigation does have is a growing body of physical evidence: biological material, purchase records, surveillance footage, and a suspect whose face has now been distributed nationally by the FBI director himself. That is nothing. But for an 84-year-old woman missing for three weeks, the clock carries a weight that evidence alone cannot answer.
Blood confirmed as Nancy Guthrie's was spattered on her own doorstep. Somewhere beyond that doorstep, the trail continues. The question is whether the people following it can move fast enough.
