DNA evidence collected from Nancy Guthrie’s home continues to undergo testing at the FBI’s crime lab as the investigation into her disappearance hits the 100-day mark.
Today star Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mom vanished from her Tucson, Ariz., area home in the middle of the night on February 1.
The DNA sample was originally sent to a private lab in Florida by local authorities before it was transferred to the FBI’s high-tech laboratory in Quantico, Va., weeks later.
‘High Priority’
Source: @savannahguthrie/instagram; mega
Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her home in Tucson, Ariz., on January 31.
Details about the DNA and where it was found are being withheld, but law enforcement sources confirmed to CBS News that analysis of the sample remains underway.
Lance Leising, a former FBI supervisory special agent in Arizona said, “An item containing DNA such as a strand of hair found somewhere in a house is one thing, but a strand of hair near the victim’s last known location, such as in her bed, would be a high priority for the FBI.”
‘It Has to Be Right’
Source: @savannahguthrie/instagram
The 84-year-old’s blood was found at the scene.
The process of evaluating DNA, which can include building out family trees to pinpoint a suspect, “takes far longer than television crime dramas would have people believe,” said retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jason Pack. “That kind of work is slow because it has to be right.”
At this point, authorities have yet to publicly name a suspect — but a masked man was notably captured on Nancy’s doorbell camera around the time of her disappearance.
‘We Are Working Hard’
Source: Nancy Guthrie/Facebook
A masked suspect was captured on surveillance footage around the time she disappeared.
CBS News reported that Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos — who has faced criticism for his handling of the case — refused to offer any information about the sample collected at the scene.
“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,” he told the outlet in a phone call on Monday, May 11.
“We are working hard with all of our partners to resolve this case, and we will,” the sheriff added.
Source: NBC
There is a $1 million reward on the table for information that leads to her ‘recovery.’
Savannah, 54, admitted in an emotional Instagram video posted about a month after Nancy disappeared that she may be dead — however, the family is still praying for her “recovery.”
She also announced the reward for information leading to her mom’s return had been raised to $1 million.
