No match in database for DNA evidence on gloves found 2 miles from home
This version of Live Updates Nancy Guthrie Live Updates Police Clear Family Tips Roll Rcna259303 - Breaking News | NBC News Clone was adapted by NBC News Clone to help readers digest key facts more efficiently.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI have fielded around 40,000 to 50,000 leads so far.
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What we know
- GUTHRIE FAMILY 'INNOCENT': Pima County, Arizona, Sheriff Chris Nanos said yesterday that no family members are considered suspects in Nancy Guthrie's disappearance and that they have been cooperative. "I’m not going to sit in silence when others are attacking the innocent," he told NBC News.
- LEADS GROW BY THE THOUSANDS: The sheriff's office and the FBI have fielded around 40,000 to 50,000 leads, Nanos said yesterday. Authorities had said they had fielded around 30,000 leads in the case.
- TESTING GLOVES: Preliminary testing on gloves found about 2 miles from Guthrie’s home point to the DNA of an unknown male, authorities said. Those gloves appear to match the gloves worn by a person seen in security video from outside Guthrie’s home. The sheriff's department said today that DNA from the gloves did not yield any hits on the CODIS database.
- TRUMP WEIGHS IN: President Donald Trump has again weighed in on the investigation, telling the New York Post that he'd want the Justice Department to seek the death penalty if Guthrie were found dead. It isn’t clear whether a case against her abductors would be brought in federal court.
Ring camera founder speaks about security images in Guthrie case, privacy concerns
Ring founder and chief inventor Jamie Siminoff discussed the home security video that provided the biggest lead thus far in the Guthrie case. He also touched on privacy concerns and the company's controversial Super Bowl commercial.
Gun shop owner says authorities asked him about possible customers
A Tucson gun shop owner said today that the FBI had contacted him and presented a list of nearly a dozen names as it works to zero in on a suspect.
Phillip Martin said that authorities showed him 18 to 24 names and photos but that nobody on the list had purchased a gun from him.
The FBI declined to comment.
Case is far from being cold, sheriff says, citing thousands of leads
Seventeen days into the search for Guthrie, 400 investigators continue to work the case, the sheriff said today.
And they are running down thousands of tips and leads.
"As long as we have the ability to chase a lead, it’s not cold," Nanos said.
"We’re not going to give up. We’re going to find Nancy, and we’re going to find out who did this."
Identification of Walmart backpack could be critical, sheriff says
The Pima County sheriff said today that the identification of a backpack worn by the suspect, which was sold at Walmart, could be a critical clue.
“That backpack, we could positively now identify as a backpack that is sold at one place only. That’s Walmart,” Nanos said in an interview.
“So we’re working with our Walmart managers all across the state to try to find out how many sales were there of that backpack in the last 20, 30 days, the last 60 days,” he said.
“And can we do something with that? Can we break it — maybe we’ll find a credit card or a bank card,” he said. “Maybe we’ll find a video of the guy walking in.”
Nanos also encouraged members of the pubic to submit any information they may have and said no tip is too small.
Tech company BlueFly said it has had role in investigation
A technology company that has been assisting authorities in the Nancy Guthrie case acknowledged its role in the investigation today.
BlueFly, a tech company whose products and service specialize in search-and-rescue operations, said the Pima County Sheriff’s Department requested its support early this month.
"The technology has been used on a variety of air and ground vehicles, and on foot in austere terrain," the company said in a statement. "It provides first responders with a heat map to identity signals within a search area."
The company said it would not be commenting further.
Investigators hope unique holster could offer clue to suspect's identity
In video taken from Guthrie's porch the morning she went missing, a man could be seen wearing a holster, and it's a unique one, the sheriff said today.
Investigators are looking to gun stores to try to match the unique holster.
“We know he had a gun. We know he had a holster that had some pretty unique characteristics,” Nanos said in an interview.
“We can’t quite identify it yet, but that’s being worked on. So naturally, we go to our gun shops everywhere and say: ‘Have you seen this guy? Can you help us identify this weapon? Can you help us identify this holster?’” he said.
Suspect may be wearing a ring in photo, sheriff says
Nanos said today that images of a suspect on Guthrie's porch the morning she disappeared could show the man wearing a ring.
"I look at the same photo you look at and I get, I see it,” Nanos said in an interview today.
“I’m going to give that to my team. They’ll look at that. They’ll analyze it and we’ll see. Maybe, maybe it is,” he said.
Security footage from the house of Nancy Guthrie, released by the FBI. Kash Patel via X
Investigators are still working to find Guthrie's pacemaker
The sheriff's department said today that investigators are trying to find Guthrie's pacemaker "and are working with the manufacturer and other experts in the field to assist."
After gloves yield no hits, investigators turn to DNA at home and genealogy
The Pima County sheriff said that even though DNA from gloves found in the Guthrie investigation yielded no hits on databases, “that’s not the end.”
“Now we start with genealogy and some of the partial DNA we have at the home,” Nanos said in an interview today.
“To me, that’s more critical than any glove I found 2 miles away. I’m not dismissing the glove 2 miles away, but I have gloves 5 miles away, 10 miles away, so we prioritize," he said.
Nanos did not say where in the home the DNA was found.
“We believe that we may have some DNA there that may be our suspect, but we won’t know that until that DNA is separated, sorted out, maybe admitted to CODIS, maybe through genealogy,” Nanos said.
CODIS is the Combined DNA Index System, a database run by the FBI that has federal and local information about DNA profiles, including those of convicted offenders, and evidence collected at scenes of unsolved crimes.
Sheriff's department has no news briefing scheduled
The sheriff's department has no news briefings scheduled for today and will hold one only for a "significant development."
The department said Nanos is booked for interviews today and will not be available to the media tomorrow.
More than 1,600 tips have come in through local tipline, official says
More than 1,600 tips have come in through the tipline set up in Pima County, the chief of detectives at the Pima County Attorney’s Office said.
Fabian Pacheco said that in two weeks, the case has generated the most tips the line has received. It is also one of the most complex cases investigators have handled, he said.
Evidence from search warrants executed last week is still being processed, sheriff's department says
Evidence from two search warrants executed last week in connection with the Guthrie investigation is still being processed, the sheriff's department said today.
"The individuals who were questioned have been released, and no arrests have been made," the department said. "As this investigation continues, you can expect to see similar activity."
The department also said investigators have not confirmed how many leads they are actively pursuing. "Regarding gun shops, investigators are canvassing businesses and showing the doorbell video released by the FBI to determine whether the suspect appears familiar," it added.
"Investigators are working with Walmart management to identify and isolate the individual who purchased the backpack," the sheriff's department added.
DNA from gloves didn't yield any hits in database, sheriff's department says
The Pima County Sheriff's Department said the DNA evidence from gloves found about 2 miles from Guthrie's house was submitted to a lab in Florida and to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) this morning. "There were no DNA hits in CODIS," the sheriff's department said. "At this point, there have been no confirmed CODIS matches in this investigation."
The sheriff's department also said that the DNA process takes time and that additional DNA evidence found at the residence is being analyzed.
The sheriff's department added on X that the DNA from the gloves also "did not match DNA found at the property." It said the "DNA found at the property is being analyzed & further testing needs to be done as part of the investigation."
Officials still searching for person seen in Guthrie doorbell video and photos
Doorbell video captured the morning Guthrie went missing and posted last week shows a person investigators are zeroing in on as they continue their search for the 84-year-old.
FBI analysis of the video shows that the person is a man 5 feet, 9 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches tall, wearing a black 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack. The person was seen tampering with Guthrie's doorbell camera the morning she disappeared.
Archbishop of New York leads a prayer on 'TODAY' show for Guthrie’s return
As authorities continue to investigate the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the new archbishop of New York led a prayer on "TODAY" for her safe return.
Archbishop Ronald Hicks, who was named to the position by Pope Leo XIV in December and installed Feb. 6, was asked by Hoda Kotb whether he had any words he’d like to share for Savannah Guthrie and her family.
“It’s heartbreaking,” he said. “It’s hard to watch. I want to just extend my absolute support, and especially my prayers, not only my own prayers, but she has a community of people who are praying for her and for her mom and for the entire family.”
Man accused of sending fake ransom note to Guthrie family was arraigned Friday
Derrick Callella, the man who was arrested and charged with sending a fake ransom note to the Guthrie family, was arraigned in a federal courthouse in Arizona on Friday.
Callella remains out of custody but must have his electronics monitored as part of pretrial restrictions, NBC affiliate KVOA of Tucson reported. He also reportedly cannot travel except between Arizona and California when necessary and cannot have contact with alleged victims or potential witnesses in the case.
Savannah Guthrie says 'it's never too late to do the right thing'
Savannah Guthrie, in her latest Instagram post, said she and her family "still have hope."
Speaking directly to "whoever has her or knows where she is," she said, "It is never too late to do the right thing."
What we know on Day 17 of the Guthrie investigation
The investigation into Guthrie's disappearance entered the third week yesterday without any publicly named suspects or persons of interest.
Video released by the FBI last week from a doorbell camera outside Guthrie's front door on the morning she went missing showed a possible subject, who officials have said appears to be a man 5'9" to 5'10" tall.
Authorities confirmed the suspect was carrying a backpack sold exclusively at Walmart. He was wearing clothing that may also have been purchased there, but it did not appear to be sold exclusively at Walmart. He was also wearing a mask and gloves.
Officials have identified DNA from an unknown male on gloves that match those worn by the person in the video and were found 2 miles from Guthrie's home. They are now in the process of submitting the DNA into a national database to try to find a match.
DNA that does not belong to Guthrie or anyone close to her was found at her home, but officials are still trying to work out who it belongs to. All members of the Guthrie family were cleared as suspects, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos confirmed yesterday.
Yesterday, the Pima County Sheriff's Department said claims that the case was a burglary gone wrong are false.
Nanos told NBC News affiliate KVOA that between 40,000 and 50,000 leads have come in through his department and the FBI. The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for any information that leads to Guthrie or to the arrest of someone responsible for her disappearance.
FBI offering $100,000 reward for information in Guthrie case
The FBI announced last week that it was upping its reward and offering $100,000 for information that either leads to Guthrie or to the arrest of anyone involved in her disappearance.
Yesterday, Sheriff Nanos told NBC News affiliate KVOA that officials now have between 40,000 and 50,000 leads between the sheriff's department and the FBI.
Why Guthrie's disappearance has gripped the nation
For years, Savannah Guthrie has given "TODAY" show viewers a firsthand look at her close and loving relationship with her mother. This access to their closeness is perhaps what has gripped the nation in the case of Guthrie's disappearance.
As former "TODAY" co-anchor Hoda Kotb put it, "She's like all of our moms."
Guthrie family and spouses cleared as suspects
More than two weeks since Guthrie went missing, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said her family and their spouses are cleared as suspects. Meanwhile, officials are awaiting DNA results from inside the home and from a nearby glove.
Sheriff says update about Guthrie family was out of ‘kindness’
Asked why he made the statement, making clear the Guthrie family, including all siblings and spouses, are not being treated as suspects, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News he felt it was his duty to do so.
"Because sometimes we forget we’re human and we hurt, and kindness matters. It is every cop's duty to stand up and be that voice for our victims. I’m not going to sit in silence when others are attacking the innocent. Isn’t that what the badge represents?" he said.
In the earlier message, Nanos said 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,” Nanos continued. “The Guthrie family are victims plain and simple.”
Trump says abductors would face death penalty if Guthrie is found dead
Trump told the New York Post today that Guthrie’s abductors would face “the most severe” federal consequences if she were found dead.
Asked by the Post if that meant the Justice Department would request the death penalty in that situation, Trump answered: “The most, yeah — that’s true.”
In response to an inquiry from NBC News about the statements, the White House said: “Refer you to the NYP interview.”
It is not yet clear whether a case against the abductors would be brought in federal court.
Finding DNA match on glove found near Guthrie's home is a 'hail Mary,' expert warns
Authorities made a potential breakthrough in the Guthrie case with the discovery of a glove containing DNA evidence roughly 2 miles from her house. The glove appeared consistent with a glove worn by a person seen in doorbell camera footage from the morning Guthrie disappeared, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
But a DNA expert told NBC News that it is too early to say whether this is a key piece of evidence.
"I think we need to use a lot of caution about jumping to conclusions with the glove," said Cece Moore, a genealogist with Parabon Nanolabs. "If there were other aspects of that glove that tied it to Nancy or somebody that's already been looked at as a person of interest, then it would rise very quickly in priority."
"But at this point, it's more like a hail Mary."
Canvass of gun stores done ‘several days ago’
A federal law enforcement official said today that agents conducted a canvass of gun stores “several days ago” as part of the Guthrie investigation.
The official said that no canvass was done today. If a specific lead requires additional canvassing, it could be possible, the official noted.
“Things are still very fluid and we are out on many leads,” the official said.
The federal official noted that this is part of the regular investigative process. The official further cautioned that too much public exposure or reporting on specific steps being taken by law enforcement “whether accurate or inaccurate, gives the perpetrator a window into the investigation. That’s not helpful.”
Support pours in for Guthrie family from communities across the U.S.
From Guthrie’s driveway in Tucson to communities across the country, people all over the United States are showing their support for Savannah Guthrie’s mother, who has now been missing for more than two weeks.
Sheriff says Guthrie’s family, spouses not suspects in abduction
The sheriff said all members of the Guthrie family have been cleared as possible suspects, calling claims otherwise “cruel.” Meanwhile, investigators are analyzing a glove found 2 miles from Guthrie’s home that the FBI says contains unknown male DNA.
