On Monday, February 23, the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie continued despite repeated setbacks in DNA evidence.
Over the weekend, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News that DNA recovered from the scene has not yet helped police find the suspect who kidnapped “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie’s mother.
Nanos told NBC News that the “mixed sample” of DNA could take weeks, months or even a year to analyze.
Now, a report published by Fox News on Monday sheds light on the DNA problem. In the report, sources told Fox News Digital that “Mixed DNA from Guthrie’s home over the weekend has so far provided only partial information, insufficient to be verified with CODIS.”
Experts say positive developments in Nancy Guthrie case
However, all is not lost and there is positive news in the same report. Genealogists told Fox News Digital that “investigative genetic genealogy,” which uses “different genetic information but may still be feasible from the same evidence,” could be helpful.
“It’s possible to deconvolve a mixed sample and get a profile, but it’s really hard to get a profile in CODIS,” CeCe Moore, chief genetic genealogist at Parabon Nanolabs and a leading expert in the field, told Fox News. “It has to be almost perfect.”
Even better news is, Moore says “you can absolutely use the same sample to create the shear profile.”
Moore added that until recently, SNP information was not accepted in courts, but authorities could use partial STR information to obtain arrest warrants even if they did not have access to CODIS.
“If you want to compare 13 markers, or just 10 markers, you can still compare them,” she concluded.
More than 12 volunteers help search for Nancy Guthrie
In another positive development, more than a dozen volunteers were on hand to help over the weekend. They found a black glove and backpack at the scene that did not match the description authorities said the suspect was wearing. Volunteers are searching for more clues about the masked suspect and hints whether he acted alone.
“Participants were told not to touch anything but to photograph potential leads and send them to a Gmail account,” Fox News reporter Michael Ruiz posted on X on Sunday, February 22. “Searchers were also instructed not to wear black gloves.”
He added in another post, “I was told that searchers were looking for evidence such as gloves, masks, discarded clothing or backpacks of the suspected kidnappers. They were instructed not to touch anything, take photos and send them to a central Gmail address set up by an unidentified organizer for this purpose.”
This story was originally published on men’s magazine It first appeared on February 23, 2026 information part. Add Men’s Diary as For preferred sources please click here.
