Amid the search for Nancy Guthrie, DNA expert and genetic genealogist CeCe Moore said that she believes investigators should return to the missing woman’s Tucson home to search for more DNA evidence. Moore stressed that DNA on the bite flashlight a masked man was seen using in doorbell camera footage needs to be examined with extra care.
Moore explained that even though crime scene investigators may have already collected numerous DNA samples, they might have missed key evidence like saliva from the bite flashlight. She added that this could be a “hardy” source of the perpetrator’s DNA, even weeks after the incident.
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“DNA is hardy. So it’s certainly possible there is still some DNA there, and in particular, I really do think that saliva is the most likely, and that is because of what appeared to be that bite flashlight in his mouth,” Moore said, as reported by National Today.
‘We have some DNA that we think is still workable’
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos previously said that the case is “not even close” to a cold case, adding, “We have some DNA that we think is still workable.” The sheriff made the comment during a 45-minute sit-down interview with longtime Tucson host Bill Buckmaster and Arizona Daily Star columnist Tim Steller on KVOI AM 1030’s Bill Buckmaster Show.
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Talking about the investigation, Nanos said that the Sheriff’s Department is still working with the FBI, labs around the country and forensics examiners on “thousands (of hours) of video footage we still have to sort through.”
“The case will get us there. We let the evidence show us the way, and that’s what we base everything on,” Nanos said. “Right now, everything is speculative. We don’t have anything in front of us that says ‘this is who did this, and this is why’.”
