Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for over three months since her disappearance from her residence in the Catalina Foothills of Tucson, AZ.
Guthrie was reported as missing on February 1 after being taken from her residence, prompting an extensive investigation spearheaded by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
Authorities said that the case is still active and ongoing, with detectives persistently pursuing various leads and urging the public to provide any pertinent information that may aid the investigation.
Also Read: Nancy Guthrie update: What’s happening in Annie, Tommaso Cioni’s neighborhood? All we know as ‘over 300 tips’ received
FBI vs Pima County Sheriff
As the case continues to take new turns and twists, FBI boss Kash Patel recently claimed that his agency was kept out of investigation for “four days.” During his appearance on Fox News Media’s Hang Out with Sean Hannity, he mentioned that once they were granted access to the investigation, their initial action was to make the ring doorbell footage available for public viewing.
“We could have gotten it days before. We could have also maybe gotten more data had we,” he added.
Hitting back at Patel, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos explained the decision to send DNA evidence to Florida, saying: “Decisions regarding evidence processing were made on scene based on operational needs.”
“The laboratory utilized by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI Laboratory in Quantico have worked in close partnership from the outset and continue to collaborate in the analysis of evidence,” his statement added.
DNA analysis hints at involvement of ‘single kidnapper’
Investigators have increasingly concentrated on forensic materials obtained from the crime scene, including biological evidence that could assist in identifying those responsible.
A private laboratory located in Florida has recently sent DNA samples to the FBI after an analysis suggested that the blood patterns discovered on Guthrie’s front porch might align with the involvement of a “single kidnapper”, MARCA reported.
Officials have also verified that a glove found at the residence contained a viable DNA profile, which is currently being matched against national databases.
Furthermore, a hair sample found later in the probe has been dispatched for advanced testing. However, experts have said that the results may require weeks or even months due to intricate processing demands, as per the report.
According to officials, these pieces of evidence could be vital in pinpointing suspects and reconstructing the sequence of events from the night Nancy went missing.
In the weeks after her disappearance, investigators have received several ransom letters directed to media organizations. Some of these messages asserted that Guthrie was dead, while others implied awareness of her whereabouts and the identity of the abductor. However, none have been confirmed as reliable.
Authorities are still evaluating whether these communications are linked to the individual observed in the surveillance footage or if they are efforts to divert the investigation.
