The Pima County Sheriff’s Department continues to analyze biological evidence recovered from the home of Nancy Guthrie, 84, who was abducted from her Catalina Foothills residence on February 1st. Despite initial hopes, DNA profiles obtained from the scene have not yielded a match in the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), according to authorities.
The lack of an immediate match does not signal a dead end, according to retired FBI Special Agent Jonathan Gilliam. “Eliminating leads is as important as affirming leads or evidence,” Gilliam told Fox 10. He emphasized the importance of continued investigation, stating, “Law enforcement investigators out there have to be diligently covering leads and considering all possibilities. We have to remember that there is technology, there’s resources and there’s investigators that are out there and if the clues are there and they are able to locate those clues, then we will see a solution of this.”
Investigators confirmed the DNA found at Guthrie’s home did not belong to her or any of her known contacts. A black glove discovered approximately two miles from the residence, believed to be connected to the suspect seen in surveillance footage from the night of the abduction, also failed to produce a CODIS match. The glove’s description aligns with the one worn by the individual captured on Guthrie’s home security system, according to the FBI.
The case has garnered significant attention, with the total reward for information leading to Guthrie’s whereabouts reaching $202,500. This figure includes a $100,000 anonymous donation to 88-CRIME and a separate $100,000 offer from the FBI.
Gilliam previously suggested the abduction may have been the result of a burglary gone wrong, a theory supported by surveillance video showing a masked individual outside Guthrie’s home around 3 a.m. On the night she disappeared. He cautioned against interpreting the lack of a DNA match as a setback, noting that the process of elimination is crucial to the investigation.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has not released further details regarding the biological evidence or the ongoing investigation.