A retired FBI profiler has explained the “big mistakes” the suspect in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie made.
Jim Clemente told NewsNation’s Brian Entin on Brian Entin Investigates on Tuesday that it had seemed like the person investigators believe to have abducted the 84-year-old mother of NBC News journalist Savannah Guthrie was “fairly sophisticated” until the FBI on February 10 released video from a doorbell camera showing the individual on her porch on the night she disappeared.
The footage showed the suspect had not anticipated the doorbell camera and made mistakes that could help law enforcement track him down, Clemente said. He said the suspect appeared to reveal a tattoo and that his failure to cover his mouth meant he likely left DNA evidence at the scene.
The Context
The search for Nancy Guthrie has entered a second month. She was last seen at her home near Tucson, Arizona, on January 31 and was reported missing the following day. Authorities believe she was kidnapped and said drops of her blood were found on the front porch.
Since the first days of her disappearance, authorities have expressed concern about her health because she needs vital daily medication.
The FBI has described the suspect as about 5 feet, 9 or 10 inches tall with an average build and said he was carrying a 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack” backpack.
What To Know
Clemente said: “When we actually saw his behavior, we could see that he wasn’t at all ready for that door camera. He went out, walked out of the vestibule area and grabbed some brush to try to cover it and in the process, he revealed that I believe he has a tattoo on the underside of his right wrist.”
Those are “really big mistakes,” Clemente said, considering the suspect “took the time to wear one mask, maybe two, at least one pair of gloves, maybe two, a full bodysuit over his other clothing.”
Despite those precautions, Clemente noted the suspect didn’t cover his mouth.
“So he’s breathing out DNA for 41 minutes in that house,” he said. “He also, his eyes and his eyebrows and his eyelashes and some of his mustache hair was all exposed. That, that could have fallen out and been left at the crime scene.”
Clemente said the suspect “thought he destroyed the camera and the images it took. In fact, he didn’t. So those mistakes again lower my assessment of his forensic and criminal sophistication. But because he’s not so sophisticated, he was probably going through a lot of stress beforehand and he may have even spoken to people about it.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News on Monday that investigators are “definitely closer” to tracking down the suspect.
Nanos also said investigators are looking into the possibility the suspect’s backpack, which is sold exclusively at Walmart, may have been purchased online.
He said that investigators have not managed to identify the car captured on a Ring camera driving past a home about 2 miles from Nancy Guthrie’s residence around the time authorities said her pacemaker last synced with her iPhone.
“We’re looking at that vehicle, as well as hundreds of thousands of other vehicles that were out driving that time of day,” Nanos said.
Nanos also said authorities are still facing challenges processing mixed DNA found at Guthrie’s home. The sheriff suggested the mixture could contain DNA from several people.
Investigators have collected DNA from Nancy Guthrie’s property that did not belong to her or those in close contact with her, and are seeking to use investigative genetic genealogy in a bid to track down the suspect.
Authorities said last month that DNA from gloves found a few miles from Nancy Guthrie’s home did not match any entries in CODIS, the FBI’s national database. The FBI said the gloves appeared to match the gloves worn by the masked person seen in the surveillance footage.
On Monday, Savannah Guthrie and her family returned to Nancy Guthrie’s home in their first sighting at the house since she went missing. Last week, she said the family was offering a $1-million reward for information leading to the recovery of their mother.
What People Are Saying
Retired FBI profiler Jim Clemente said on Brian Entin Investigates the suspect is “probably in his 30s or 40s and he definitely, because he wasn’t a professional, he definitely exhibited pre- and post-offense behavior that people around him can see.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News: “I personally believe Nancy Guthrie is alive. That’s my personal opinion, but that’s because I put faith in. That’s just who I am.”
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) said on Friday: “This remains an active investigation and will continue until Nancy Guthrie is located or all leads have been exhausted. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is refocusing resources to detectives specifically assigned to this case. As leads are developed and resolved, resource allocation may fluctuate. PCSD will maintain a patrol presence in the Guthrie neighborhood.”
Savannah Guthrie wrote on Instagram on Monday: “We feel the love and prayers from our neighbors, from the Tucson community and from around the country.”
She added: “Please don’t stop praying and hoping with us. bring her home.”
What Happens Next
Anyone with information is urged to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), 520-351-4900 or 88-CRIME or visit tips.fbi.gov.
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