TUCSON — A black glove found near Nancy Guthrie’s Catalina Foothills home appears to match the gloves worn by the man seen in doorbell camera footage and contains DNA evidence, the FBI said in a Feb. 15 statement.
The glove was found Feb. 12, about two miles from the Guthrie residence in a field near the side of the road. The glove was one of about 16 recovered in areas near the house, the FBI statement said.
Most belonged to searchers who had discarded them. “The one with the DNA profile recovered is different and appears to match the gloves of the subject in the surveillance video,” the FBI said.
The gloves were sent overnight by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department to the private lab it uses in Florida and received Feb. 13, the FBI said. Preliminary results were received by the FBI on Feb. 14. The FBI said it was awaiting official confirmation of the results, a process that typically takes about 24 hours.
The FBI then would put the unknown male profile into CoDIS, the national database it keeps of DNA profiles, to compare it with other DNA profiles from crime scenes, convicted offenders and missing persons.
The news about the DNA evidence in the glove was released hours before “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie posted another video on Instagram, this one titled “bring her home. it’s never too late to do the next right thing.”
“It’s been two weeks since our mom was taken, and I just wanted to come on and say that — we still have hope. And we still believe,” Guthrie said.
“And I wanted to say to whoever has her or knows where she is that it’s never too late. And you’re not lost or alone. And it is never too late to do the right thing. And we are here. We believe, and we believe in the essential goodness of every human being. And it’s never too late.”
The DNA update on the glove was the most recent break in the search for the missing 84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie, which passed the two-week mark on Feb. 15. Investigators were continuing to pursue forensic evidence and public tips but making no arrests and no public announcements about Nancy Guthrie herself.
By the late morning of Feb. 15, cars lined the street of Guthrie’s home in the Catalina Foothills. The whir of a small drone could be heard above the canopies pitched by journalists.
One deputy with a marked Pima County Sheriff’s Office vehicle was in the driveway, but no private security was visible on site.
DNA was likely to provide important clues. Besides DNA on the glove and obtained in a Feb. 13 traffic stop, authorities have said they collected DNA from Guthrie’s property that did not belong to her or those in close contact with her. Officials have not disclosed where the distinctive biological blueprint was found at the residence and said it was being analyzed.
Investigators may have used a ‘signal sniffer’
The investigation into Guthrie’s disappearance was being conducted jointly by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI.
Both agencies were using physical, digital and biological tools in the investigation, from the retrieval and analysis of the camera footage to examining DNA evidence to finding a glove tossed off to the side of the road during a physical search.
Law enforcement activity has been less visible over the weekend, but activity late Feb. 13 near Guthrie’s Catalina Foothills home — including a federal search warrant and traffic stop — involved sheriff’s deputies, FBI agents and a SWAT team.
The operation did not lead to a breakthrough, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. A person was questioned during the traffic stop, but no one was taken into custody, sheriff’s officials said. DNA samples were taken from the person’s vehicle, a gray Range Rover.
Experts say the case reflects how modern crime and modern investigations now unfold simultaneously in the physical world and online.
“It’s a game of cat and mouse,” said Milos Manic, director of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Cybersecurity Center, in an interview with The Arizona Republic.
Manic said today’s crimes often intersect with networked devices, cloud storage systems and digital payment platforms. The same technology that allows homeowners to monitor cameras remotely or move money instantly can also be used to obscure activity or disrupt surveillance.
Authorities have used a device known as a “signal sniffer” mounted on a law enforcement helicopter in an attempt to detect Nancy Guthrie’s pacemaker signal, according to reports from Fox News and NewsNation, which reported the device was attached to a Pima County Sheriff’s Department helicopter seen flying low over the Tucson area Feb. 3.
Kevin Smith, spokesperson for the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office, declined to comment on whether investigators were using such a device. The Sheriff’s Department did not respond to a request to comment.
What to know about the case so far
Guthrie was last seen Jan. 31 and was reported missing the next day. Authorities have said they believe she was taken from her home in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood against her will.
The Catalina Foothills neighborhood is a hillside area in Pima County north of Tucson with limited street lighting and widely spaced homes.
The FBI described a person seen in doorbell camera footage at Guthrie’s home as a male about 5 feet 9 to 5 feet 10 inches tall with an average build. The person was wearing a mask, gloves and a black 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack and appeared to tamper with the camera, investigators have said.
A reward for information leading to Guthrie’s discovery — and the arrest and conviction of anyone involved — has been increased to $100,000.
Anyone with information is asked to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI, tips.fbi.gov, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900 or 88-CRIME.
Who is Nancy Guthrie? What to know about her life
Nancy Guthrie led an active, vibrant life before her disappearance, taking part in social activities from book clubs and church to networking with other professionals like herself, according to her friends.
Her disappearance shocked the world and those closest to her. People in her life are heartbroken by what is happening because of the way she lives her life, said Jacqueline Sharkey, professor emerita at the University of Arizona.
“She is completely devoted to her family, her faith, and her community,” Sharkey said. “She’s been deeply engaged in education issues, in issues of public health, such as saving the Poison Information Center. She’s wise, and she’s kind.”
Patricia Sturmon described Guthrie similarly, saying her longtime friend is smart and witty and not afraid to speak out and “identify people who are misguided or foolish.”
“She is very special. She opens up to people who she meets, and she is genuine and very well educated,” said Sturmon, who has known Guthrie for 20 years.
