Nancy Guthrie disappearance: Savannah Guthrie says ‘we still believe’ as FBI investigates DNA
Retired supervisory FBI Agent Jason Pack says the DNA process in the Nancy Guthrie case is moving under urgency but bound by strict protocols, explaining that evidence tested at a private Florida lab must pass multiple reviews in Arizona before it can be entered into the FBI’s national CODIS database.
Pack confessed to Fox News Digital he is not a DNA expert, but as an agent, he learned the process.
In the Guthrie case, he said the DNA is being tested by a private forensic laboratory in Florida, though the investigation belongs to Pima County, Arizona.
“That matters, because DNA does not move straight from a private lab to the FBI,” he said. “There’s no doubt they know the urgency and are fast tracking without cutting corners. We heard tonight that they are finishing their quality checks at the private lab.”
Pack said the process involves investigators in Arizona first sending the biological evidence to the Florida lab for testing. During testing, the lab workers will extract the DNA and create a DNA profile. The new profile is not a name, but instead is a series of numbers based on genetic markers.
He added that the testing of the DNA can take days or weeks, depending on the condition of the evidence.
Once testing is complete, the DNA profile is not sent to the FBI, but instead to Pima County because they own the case. While the lab has the DNA profile, they cannot upload it into the national system. Instead, it has to be transmitted securely and handled by a certified CODIS laboratory, which is usually a government lab authorized by the FBI.
Pima County would then normally send the profile to Arizona’s state crime lab for review, Pack explained, which checks to make sure the testing followed FBI standards and that the documentation is complete.
“Only after that review, or if Pima County formally asks the FBI to take responsibility sooner, can the DNA move to the FBI,” he said. “If the FBI assumes submission responsibility, it can upload the profile directly into the national database. That removes one layer, but it still isn’t instant. The FBI still conducts its own quality checks.”
Once the profile is in the CODIS, it can only be compared to DNA already in the system, like those from convicted offenders and DNA from other crime scenes. If the person connected to the case has never been in CODIS, there will not be a match.
“Because the lab is in Florida and the case belongs to Arizona, there are multiple handoffs before anything goes national,” Pack said. “Even when everything moves smoothly, investigators are usually talking about weeks, not days. If the DNA goes through the full Arizona review process first, a month or more is realistic.
“That doesn’t mean nothing is happening. It means the system is moving carefully, under urgency, and the way it was designed to work,” he added.
