DNA lead in Nancy Guthrie search hits dead end
Rebecca Asil, Steve Gorman And Yana Winter
Tucson, Arizona: One of the most promising leads so far in the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping turned disappointing after investigators said DNA taken from a glove found near her Arizona home found no match in a national genetic profiling database.
The result, released by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI, is a major setback for investigators as the search for the 84-year-old mother of television journalist Savannah Guthrie extends into its 17th day.
Investigators had hoped that a DNA sample taken from the glove last week would constitute what forensic experts call a “hit” when it was submitted for comparison with known DNA profiles stored in a national database called CODIS, short for Combined DNA Index System.
The glove found abandoned in a roadside field about 2 miles from the elder Guthrie’s Tucson-area home was similar to one worn by a gunman wearing a ski mask who was seen on video footage trying to disable a doorbell camera in the early morning hours, shortly before he was abducted.
Sheriff Chris Nanos said he believes the man in the video, carrying an overstuffed backpack and holstered gun, is likely the perpetrator of the kidnapping and the primary suspect authorities are seeking.
But the glove DNA failed to trigger a match with DNA found in CODIS or on the Guthrie property, the sheriff’s department said Tuesday.
“At this point, there have been no confirmed CODIS matches in this investigation,” the sheriff’s office said, adding that additional DNA evidence found at Guthrie’s home was still being analyzed.
“CODIS is one option from many existing databases,” the agency said.
Guthrie’s disappearance, which authorities considered a kidnapping for ransom, attracted intense public attention around the world, and the news media followed every development in the case.
The sheriff’s office said much of the investigation involved good old-fashioned detective work, including investigators working with managers at Walmart retail stores to locate the person who purchased the backpack seen in the video.
Tucson gun shop co-owner Phillip Martin said: Reuters On Tuesday, he said, an FBI agent who admitted working on the Guthrie case visited his store with a list of fewer than 20 potential customers and asked if anyone had purchased guns there. Martin said he checked but none of them did.
The visit to this gun shop occurred more than a week ago, and law enforcement continues to refine lists of potential persons of interest. The list shown to gun stores was developed by cross-referencing backpack and holster purchases and other data points, a law enforcement official told Reuters.
In other efforts, the sheriff’s department said its investigators used a “signal detector” technology that produces a heat map to identify potential search targets in a given area. Parsons Corp., which designed the system, said it was used by search teams using helicopters, ground vehicles and on foot in the Guthrie case.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen Jan. 31 when she was dropped off at her home near Tucson after having dinner with her family, and was reported missing by relatives the next day, authorities said.
Nanos said the elder Guthrie had extremely limited physical mobility and was unable to leave his home without assistance; This led investigators to prematurely conclude that she had been abducted against her will.
At least two purported ransom notes have emerged since his disappearance, both initially handed over to the news media. There is no known direct contact between any suspect and Guthrie’s family or authorities.
Savannah Guthrie, 54, co-host of popular NBC News morning show TodayShe, along with her brother Camron Guthrie and sister Annie Guthrie, posted several video messages pleading for their mother’s return and asking for the public’s help in solving the case.
On Sunday, Nanos released a statement saying immediate family members (all siblings and their spouses) were not considered suspects in the case and said, “The Guthrie family is clearly the victim.”
Bloodstains found on Guthrie’s front porch were confirmed by DNA tests to be Guthrie’s, authorities said last week. Law enforcement and family members said he was in poor health and required daily medication to survive. He also has a pacemaker.
Nanos told Reuters last week that no evidence of life had emerged since the abduction, but added that his assumption that Nancy Guthrie had survived “is also not evidence of death.”
Reporting by Rebecca Noble from Tucson, Arizona; Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Jana Winter and Jasper Ward in Washington and Herbert Villarraga in Tucson.
Reuters
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