The search for Nancy Guthrie has reached 100 days, and investigators say the DNA work that could help identify what happened to her is still not done. Guthrie, the mother of “Today” show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing on Feb. 1.
DNA recovered from Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Arizona, was first sent to a private laboratory in Florida and later shipped to the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia. Law enforcement sources told CBS News the testing at the FBI lab was still ongoing, a reminder that forensic work in a missing-person case can drag on long after the public attention has moved elsewhere.
Jason Pack, a retired FBI agent, said that kind of analysis “takes far longer than television crime dramas would people believe.” He said, “That kind of work is slow because it has to be right.” The pace matters here because the DNA could be central to identifying an abductor or narrowing the field of possibilities in a case that has stretched across more than three months.
But the evidence trail has already produced at least one dead end. A DNA sample recovered from a set of gloves found about 2 miles from Guthrie’s house was traced back to a nearby restaurant worker who had no connection to the investigation, according to the facts provided. Investigators have not publicly confirmed details about the DNA sample from Guthrie’s home or said exactly where it was found.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos declined to say whether the sample was a strand of hair, bodily fluid or some other source. He said, “It would be highly inappropriate of me to speak to the evidence. We have to keep the integrity of this case. If we make an arrest, that individual has the right to a fair trial, [so] I can't sit here and address all of that,” and added, “We are working hard with all of our partners to resolve this case, and we will.”
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said scientific evidence processing and digital media analysis were still ongoing at the 100-day mark, and that investigators were actively pursuing leads and tips. A Ring doorbell camera captured images of a suspect wearing a ski mask, gloves and a backpack, a detail that keeps the case from settling into a purely forensic problem. It is also a reminder that whatever answers eventually come may depend on more than one kind of evidence.
For now, the investigation sits at a hard midpoint: no public resolution, one DNA trail still under review in Quantico, and another eliminated as irrelevant. After 100 days, the unanswered question is not whether investigators are working, but whether the evidence they are processing can still lead them to the person who took Guthrie.
