What we covered here
• DNA analysis: DNA on gloves found 2 miles from Nancy Guthrie’s Arizona home does not have any matches in the national database known as CODIS, and doesn’t match DNA found at Guthrie’s home, either, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos says.
• Family not suspects: Nancy Guthrie’s adult children and their spouses are not suspects in her February 1 disappearance from her home, the sheriff said yesterday, calling any suggestion otherwise “cruel.”
• No leading theory: Authorities have said they believe the 84-year-old mother of “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie was removed from the home against her will. But investigators still have no leading theory about a motive, a source said.
• Tip lines: If you have information that could help investigators, you can call 1-800-CALL-FBI or 520-351-4900. You can also submit information at tips.fbi.gov.
Our live coverage of the search for Nancy Guthrie has ended. Get the latest here.
Genetic genealogy analysis of glove could take 20 minutes to over 7 years, expert says
It could take anywhere from 20 minutes to over seven-and-a-half years for results from the investigative genetic genealogy analysis of DNA found on a glove recovered near Nancy Guthrie’s home to help identify a suspect, according to one of the nation’s leading genetic genealogists.
Only less than two million people who have created profiles with the smaller databases of GEDmatch, FamilyTreeDNA and DNA Justice have opted into allowing law enforcement to compare samples against their DNA, Moore said.
“If I was the Guthrie family, I would be begging AncestryDNA, 23andMe and MyHeritage to allow this profile to be compared against their databases,” Moore said. “I don’t believe they will allow it, unless they are served with a warrant.”
Investigative genealogy involves “reverse engineering someone’s identity through their family tree based on their DNA alone,” said Moore. When law enforcement compares samples in the databases they can access, a list is generated of people who share DNA with the subject sample, which can be as little as 1%, Moore said. People with deep roots in the US tend to be identified much faster, but if the suspect or their family was born in another country it will be more challenging, she added.
“I’m looking for patterns, commonalities, overlaps, triangulations, and eventually piecing together this person’s family tree, ancestor by ancestor based on those people that are sharing DNA with them,” she added.
Google trying to recover more footage from Nancy Guthrie home surveillance cameras, NBC reports
Google is attempting to recover more footage from the surveillance cameras at Nancy Guthrie’s home, which is challenging because the videos were recorded over, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News in an interview.
The sheriff’s department has been receiving calls to aid in the search for Guthrie from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Apple, according to the NBC report.
The department has uncovered new leads from the doorbell footage from Guthrie’s home, including a possible ring the suspect was wearing underneath his glove, which will be analyzed, NBC reported.
DNA found inside her home may be a match to the suspect’s, Nanos told NBC, adding that won’t be confirmed until the evidence is tested. The sheriff said investigators know the suspect had a gun and a holster “that had some pretty unique characteristics,” which they are working to identify, according to the report.
“As long as we have the ability to chase a lead, it’s not cold. We have thousands of leads we’re looking at. We’re going to find Nancy, and we’re going to find who did this,” Nanos told NBC.
Glove DNA found near Guthrie home will be sent for genetic genealogy analysis, source says
DNA found on a glove recovered near Nancy Guthrie’s home will be subjected to investigative genetic genealogy analysis, a law enforcement source familiar tells CNN.
The new line of investigative inquiry comes as the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said the DNA sample did not match any entries in the FBI’s database of known offenders.
The burgeoning field of investigative genealogy has been instrumental in past cases, including the killing of four Idaho university students by Bryan Kohberger.
The procedure analyzes DNA samples uploaded to publicly available systems used to map someone’s family tree.
Criminal investigators can take an unknown suspect’s DNA profile and upload it to a public database and then use the genealogical information and other evidence to build back through the family tree and identify potential suspects.
CNN’s Eric Levenson contributed to this report
Officials seen in Guthrie's neighborhood, appearing to check cameras
Law enforcement was in Nancy Guthrie’s neighborhood today as officials continue to sift through leads to find the missing 84-year-old.
Two officials came out to the side of one of Guthrie’s neighbors’ homes with a ladder and appeared to be checking the surveillance camera and looking at a phone. CNN has reached out for clarification about what investigators were doing.
At Guthrie’s house, Pima County Sheriff’s Department vehicles were seen in the driveway. CNN crews saw one person come out of the house with a bag, wearing blue gloves, before driving away.
A spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department told CNN investigators are in the area “conducting follow up investigations.”
Heat map technology used by choppers, cars and on foot in search for Guthrie, company says
Technology that provides first responders with a heat map to identify signals within a search area has been used by helicopters, vehicles and people on foot in several search operations for Nancy Guthrie, according to the company Parsons, referring to its BlueFly product.
BlueFly units and personnel were deployed to Arizona on February 3 to aid in the search for Guthrie after the Pima County Sheriff’s Department asked the company for support, the statement from Parsons said.
“The technology was subsequently used for additional search operations by helicopter, ground vehicles, and on foot,” the statement said. “Due to the sensitivity of the investigation, we will not provide additional details on ongoing operations.”
Sheriff: DNA from gloves does not match national database or DNA found at Guthrie’s home
DNA tested from gloves found 2 miles from Nancy Guthrie’s house does not have any matches in the national database known as CODIS and doesn’t match DNA found at Guthrie’s home, either, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos says.
DNA found at Guthrie’s property is still being analyzed, the sheriff says.
So far, the sheriff adds, nothing in the investigation has any matches in CODIS.
Asked by Fox News’ Jonathan Hunt during an interview today: “Is there a CODIS match for the DNA in the house?”
“No,” Nanos answered.
CODIS is the FBI-managed Combined DNA Index System, a national database that holds more than 19 million offender profiles, the agency said. Authorities have not said whether they’ve concluded the gloves are connected to the Guthrie case.
The glove visually resembled the gloves worn by a masked man seen on doorbell camera footage on Guthrie’s porch.
The glove with DNA on it was one of “approximately” 16 found near Guthrie’s home, most of which belonged to searchers who discarded them while working in the area, the FBI said in a previous statement.
Investigators are also reviewing evidence obtained through two search warrants executed last week, the sheriff said. The people detained for questioning have been released, and “no arrests have been made,” according to Nanos.
“Regarding gun shops, investigators are canvassing businesses and showing the doorbell video released by the FBI to determine whether the suspect appears familiar,” the sheriff’s department said.
This post has been updated with additional information.
With no DNA hit in FBI database, where does the investigation go from here?
DNA found on a glove near the home of Nancy Guthrie, which authorities said visually resembled the gloves worn by a masked man seen on doorbell camera footage at her home, did not match any samples located in an FBI database, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said today.
Accessing the FBI’s national database containing DNA samples from known criminals and crime scenes across the country is often an initial step for investigators when trying to identify the person behind an a recovered unknown sample.
While the FBI’s database did not appear to return any results, there are still other options for investigators, including a burgeoning field of science known as investigative genetic genealogy.
As part of that process, authorities would likely be submitting the evidence to third-party DNA mapping services offered to the general public. Even if the suspect has never used one of these services, a family member of the suspect might have, which can provide clues to the suspect’s identity based on the unique nature of family DNA profiling.
Familial DNA was a critical tool used by police in the case of Bryan Kohberger, who was convicted of killing four Idaho college students.
Authorities are also working to analyze DNA found at the Guthrie home to determine if it belongs to the suspect or matches DNA found on the recovered glove. Officials say they have still not identified the person seen on doorbell camera footage at the Guthrie home before her disappearance.
How investigators ruled out Nancy Guthrie’s family as possible suspects
Authorities thoroughly investigated Nancy Guthrie’s family before Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos announced her adult children and their spouses are not suspects in her disappearance.
“We talked to them, we took their phones, we took their computers,” Nanos told People Magazine Tuesday. “I mean, we did everything. We processed their vehicles, we processed their homes. They have been really … They’re victims.”
Statistically, most crimes that occur inside a home — such as Guthrie’s kidnapping — disproportionately involve family members, CNN senior law enforcement analyst and former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe said this morning.
“So that’s just a standard thing that would happen in any similar investigation,” he said.
While it is standard practice for investigators to examine possible connections between relatives and violent crimes, no evidence has emerged to suggest any wrongdoing by members of the Guthrie family.
“Now they’re proactively saying that the family has been clear. This is likely because they have developed enough evidence on each family member to prove that they could not have been the offender,” McCabe said.
The sheriff told CNN affiliate KOLD that the family has been “100% cooperative” and family members were ruled out as suspects “in the first few days.”
Nanos previously said any suggestion that Guthrie’s family was involved would be “cruel.”
“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,” Nanos told NBC. “I’m not going to sit in silence when others are attacking the innocent. Isn’t that what the badge represents?”
Nancy Guthrie's family members are not suspects, sheriff says. Here's the latest
Nancy Guthrie’s family members are not suspects in her disappearance, the sheriff said, as authorities continue to comb through thousands of tips and analyze DNA in an attempt to identify the suspect and find the missing 84-year-old.
Here’s what we know:
- All of Guthrie’s adult children and their spouses are not suspects in the case, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said yesterday, calling the family “nothing but cooperative and gracious.” A CNN law enforcement analyst called this “a very strong indicator of progress.” Nanos told CNN affiliate KOLD that the family has been “100% cooperative” and family members were ruled out as suspects “in the first few days.”
- Investigators have still not identified a leading motive for Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, with authorities looking at all possible options, a source told CNN.
- Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told CNN he is hopeful the results could come back today. Investigators are awaiting the results of DNA tests conducted on a glove found near Guthrie’s home that appears to match the ones worn by a suspect seen in her home’s doorbell camera footage. Meanwhile, investigators are combing through more than 40,000 tips sent to the FBI and sheriff’s department combined.
- Investigators are also working with Walmart to gather more information about the backpack worn by a suspect seen on video the night Nancy Guthrie disappeared. The backpack, identified by the FBI as a 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack, is an item only sold at the retailer.
- President Trump says if Guthrie is found dead, those responsible will face the “most severe” federal penalties, the New York Post reported. CNN asked the White House to clarify whether the president meant he would direct prosecutors to seek the death penalty specifically.
- In her latest social media plea, Savannah Guthrie on Sunday addressed her mother’s captor directly, saying, “It’s never too late to do the right thing.”
Sheriff is hopeful results of DNA tests on glove could come back today
Investigators are awaiting the results of DNA tests on the glove found about two miles from Nancy Guthrie’s property, and Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said he is hopeful the results could come back today.
The glove appears to match the one worn by the suspect seen in front doorbell camera footage at the home, the FBI said.
Investigators are running the DNA from the glove through the CODIS national database to check for a match with known offender profiles.
Authorities will also compare the glove DNA to DNA recovered at Guthrie’s home, which they said does not match her or anyone in her immediate circle.
That could be a significant development in the investigation, but experts caution that the results may not be announced to the public immediately.
Law enforcement experts say authorities are more likely to prioritize tracking down the suspect.
How a bluetooth ‘sniffer’ tool could help in search for Nancy Guthrie
CNN’s Kate Bolduan speaks with David Kennedy, who helped create technology used to track bluetooth signals from pacemakers, about how it can be used in the search for Nancy Guthrie.
Analysis: Sheriff took aim at "armchair detectives" in statement clarifying family members aren't suspects
Monday’s statement from the Pima County sheriff that said Nancy Guthrie’s family members are not suspects in her disappearance is a direct response to so-called “armchair detectives” who have wildly — and sometimes irresponsibly — speculated about the case.
No matter how well-intentioned the online guessing games have been, the chatter has been distracting, at best, and actively harming the investigation, at worst.
“The Guthrie family are victims plain and simple,” Sheriff Chris Nanos said Monday, suggesting claims to the contrary risk revictimizing the family members.
Law enforcement officials previously tried to make this point in private conversations with members of the media, but the family member finger-pointing has been happening mostly in a parallel universe of true-crime influencers and amateur sleuths.
Now that the point has been made publicly, that the family members are not suspects, “let’s hope this puts an end to the reckless and malicious nonsense,” a longtime friend of Savannah Guthrie’s remarked to CNN. The friend spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation.
There has been a yawning gap between what traditional news outlets have been saying about the Nancy Guthrie investigation and what new-media influencers have been saying.
The influencer content has been more raw, more participatory, and more speculative, with commentary often crossing lines that journalists are taught to avoid, partly to avoid libeling innocent people.
The influencer content is also appealing to some viewers and readers for the same reasons it is controversial. And, as a person involved in the Guthrie investigation told CNN last week, there is a recognition that the online energy can be helpful as well as hurtful: “The breakthrough tip could come from anyone, from anywhere.”
As days have turned into weeks, speculation about certain Guthrie family members intensified in online communities, particularly in circles where there is deep ingrained distrust of major media outlets.
Nanos said on Monday that the suggestions about a family member being responsible for Nancy’s disappearance have been “cruel.”
Some amateur sleuths who have drawn online crowds with their commentary about the case reacted on Monday by saying, in effect, they were just trying to help. Some also criticized the sheriff for not making the public statement sooner.
Why police often examine relatives first in missing persons cases
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department says the Guthrie family are not suspected of wrongdoing in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.
CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller explains how investigators would have examined the family before ruling them out.
True crime influencers and online sleuths face backlash over Nancy Guthrie coverage
CNN’s Brian Stelter takes a look at the true crime influencers and online sleuths who have faced backlash over their Nancy Guthrie coverage.
