Lead: Federal and local investigators in Tucson continue an active search after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie went missing. Authorities say DNA recovered from a glove found about two miles from her home produced a profile of an unknown male and is being prepared for entry into the FBI’s CODIS database. Pima County and FBI teams have routed tens of thousands of tips and conducted multiple field actions while the family has been publicly cleared as suspects. Savannah Guthrie has urged anyone with information to come forward, saying the family “still believes.”
Key Takeaways
- The FBI reported DNA from a glove linked to the person in surveillance footage produced a male profile; quality-control checks are underway before CODIS submission.
- The glove was collected in a field roughly two miles from Nancy Guthrie’s Catalina Foothills home and sent from Tucson to a private Florida lab on Feb. 12.
- Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos says investigators have received between 30,000 and 50,000 tips and assigned several hundred officers to the case.
- Officials detained and later released multiple people after a Friday search warrant near the home; no arrests have been announced and no sign of Nancy has been found at that location.
- Experts note that even small amounts of so-called “touch DNA” can produce usable profiles and that genealogical methods may follow if there is no CODIS hit.
- Investigators have recovered multiple gloves in the search area, but officials say only one glove’s profile appears to match the glove seen in doorbell footage.
- Authorities emphasize caution in public reporting and say premature disclosure of investigative steps can hamper the probe.
Background
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was reported missing from her Tucson-area home in mid-February, triggering a multiagency response that includes the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI. The case drew nationwide attention in part because of surveillance footage showing a covered figure near the residence and because of the family’s high public profile. Over the ensuing days investigators canvassed nearby areas, executed at least one search warrant at a residence about two miles from Guthrie’s home, and collected numerous items of evidence.
Because the investigation crosses state lines for testing, the chain of custody and multiple lab reviews are central to when and how DNA results become national. A private lab in Florida performed initial analysis after receiving items overnight; Arizona authorities and certified state labs normally review such profiles before they are uploaded to CODIS. Retired investigators and current officials have stressed that speed is being balanced with protocols that preserve evidentiary integrity.
Main Event
Investigators recovered a glove in a field near a roadway about two miles from Guthrie’s home; the FBI says the glove appears to match the pair worn by the figure in the doorbell camera footage. The item was packaged by Pima County personnel and sent to a private Florida laboratory on Feb. 12 for DNA testing. Preliminary results identifying an unknown male profile were reported back to investigators, who then initiated quality-control steps before any CODIS entry.
The profile will not appear in the national database until certified labs complete reviews: the private lab’s quality-control, a state crime-lab verification in Arizona, and any final handoff arrangements with the FBI if Pima County requests federal submission. Retired agents note these handoffs can add days—or in some full-review scenarios, weeks—to the timeline, even when the case is expedited.
On the ground, hundreds of tips have been screened and routed to appropriate investigative units; the sheriff’s office and the FBI say they are following leads including surveillance footage analysis and targeted canvasses. Authorities executed a late-night search warrant at a nearby home last week, briefly detained individuals and later released them pending further inquiries. A vehicle at that property was towed after agents searched the site; officials have not confirmed whether the vehicle is related to the disappearance.
Analysis & Implications
The discovery of a male DNA profile on an item investigators link to the surveillance subject is a potentially pivotal development: a CODIS match to a convicted offender could produce an immediate investigative lead, while no match would likely push investigators toward investigative genetic genealogy. Both pathways have distinct timelines and legal protocols. CODIS comparisons run only against existing law-enforcement profiles, whereas genealogy searches reconstruct family trees from distant matches in consumer databases subject to privacy and legal constraints.
Even small amounts of degraded DNA—sometimes described by experts as “DNA confetti”—can yield profiles because modern marker systems require relatively little material. That said, environmental exposure (heat, sun, wind) can reduce quantity and quality, so laboratory assessments of allele completeness and statistical weight will determine how conclusive the profile is for investigative use. Quality-control steps and multi-jurisdictional reviews are meant to ensure any downstream match is scientifically defensible in court.
Operationally, the large volume of tips (reported at 30,000–50,000) creates both opportunity and strain: sorting actionable leads from noise requires significant personnel and analytical resources. The presence of multiple agencies and public scrutiny adds pressure to proceed quickly while preserving legal standards. Prosecutorial decisions—including possible federal involvement—would depend on the evidence that follows any DNA lead, the suspect’s criminal history, and jurisdictional considerations.
Comparison & Data
| Item | Reported detail |
|---|---|
| Age of victim | 84 years |
| Glove location | Field ~2 miles from home |
| Lab transfer date | Sent from Tucson to Florida lab on Feb. 12 |
| Tips received | 30,000–50,000 routed to investigators |
| Personnel assigned | Several hundred officers |
The table above highlights the concrete data points investigators have disclosed publicly so far. Those figures show a resource-intensive inquiry with both local and federal participation; they also underline why labs, evidence-handling protocols and tip-management systems are critical to maintaining both progress and legal admissibility.
Reactions & Quotes
Family statement and appeal: Savannah Guthrie posted a short video two weeks after her mother’s disappearance, urging whoever has information to act. Her comments have been interpreted by some behavioral analysts as a direct message to anyone involved.
“We still have hope, and we still believe…it is never too late to do the right thing.”
Savannah Guthrie (family statement)
Sheriff Nanos pushed back at online speculation and confirmed the Guthrie family has been cleared by investigators as suspects, emphasizing the family’s cooperation and the need for compassionate reporting.
“The family has been nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case…To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos (official statement)
Forensic experts highlighted the potential value of the glove DNA while explaining procedural limits and the likely next steps if CODIS yields no match.
“Even tiny pieces of DNA can be useful; if there is no CODIS hit, investigative genealogy is a likely next phase.”
Colleen Fitzpatrick, Identifinders Forensic Genealogy (forensic expert)
Unconfirmed
- Whether the clothing and ski mask seen in surveillance footage were purchased specifically at Walmart remains unproven; officials say the items are commercially available in multiple outlets.
- The exact motive for the apparent abduction—whether ransom, revenge, or another reason—has not been established publicly.
- No public confirmation ties the vehicle towed after the nearby search warrant to the disappearance itself.
- Reports that investigators have adopted a single working theory (for example, “burglary gone wrong”) have been disputed by law-enforcement sources and remain unverified.
Bottom Line
The identification of an unknown male DNA profile on a glove tied to surveillance footage is a concrete development that may produce leads but is not an immediate resolution. Scientific, procedural and jurisdictional steps remain before the profile is searchable nationally; even then, a CODIS match is only one possible outcome and may lead investigators to genealogical methods if no match exists.
Investigators continue to prioritize corroborated leads while urging the public to avoid speculation that could harm innocent parties or reveal investigative methods. For readers, the immediate takeaway is that the case is active, the family has been publicly cleared as suspects, and the next 48–72 hours of lab and review activity could materially change the direction of the investigation.