Sheriff said mixed DNA samples creating hurdle for detectives
A law enforcement source told 13 News that a photo of the suspect in the Nancy Guthrie case appears to have been taken on a different day than the other ones.
By , , , , , , , , and
Published: Feb. 2, 2026 at 9:57 AM GMT+7|Updated: 25 minutes ago
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – A law enforcement source told 13 News that a photo of the suspect in the Nancy Guthrie case appears to have been taken on a different day than the other ones released by the FBI.
The source confirmed the news on Monday, Feb. 24, but could not say when that photo was taken.
13 News reached out to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, and he said that information did not come from the PCSD or the FBI.
The photo, which can be seen below on the left, was among a batch released by the FBI on Feb. 10. The suspect in that photo doesn’t have the backpack or gun that he has in the other video and pictures, like the one on the right.
A law enforcement source said the photo of the Nancy Guthrie suspect on the left appears to be taken on a different day than the one on the right.(FBI)
Nanos said the investigation is just getting started, but they are hitting some speed bumps.
He said some of the biological samples that have been recovered in the case feature DNA from multiple people. He said it will take time, possibly months, to separate the DNA samples so they can be fed into law enforcement databases.
A former FBI agent told 13 News the DNA samples could be from blood, saliva, or sweat.
MORE NANCY GUTHRIE COVERAGE
“Sometimes in violent scenes, the offender and the victim both are injured, both have blood,” said Morgan Wright, the founder and CEO of the National Center for Open and Unsolved Cases. “It could be saliva, it could be sweat, there’s a variety of ways that you get DNA from certain things.”
Nanos confirmed investigators are still working to identify the clothing the suspect was wearing in the security video from Guthrie’s home. The suspect’s backpack, gun, and holster have already been identified. The backpack was tracked to Walmart, and investigators have been going through video and online sales reports.
The 84-year-old Guthrie, the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing from her Catlaina Foothills home on Feb. 1. She was last seen when her son-in-law dropped her off at home after having dinner on Jan. 31.
DAY 22: Volunteer searchers find backpack
Community volunteers and vloggers took to the desert Sunday, Feb. 22, in search of clues in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.
Organizers distributed maps and a list of items for volunteers to look for, including clothing, jewelry, masks, and gloves. The search focused on washes between Nancy Guthrie’s home and the intersection of Oracle and Orange Grove.
Volunteers organize community search party for Nancy Guthrie.(KOLD)
Alex Zabel, who helped organize the search, said the goal was to support — not interfere with — the ongoing investigation.
“We feel it’s our duty to find her,” Zabel said. “It’s everybody’s mom, everybody’s grandmother.”
Volunteer Jim Peterson addressed the group at the start of the search, directing participants to maps and materials.
“I just want to thank everyone for coming, and we have some maps over here,” Peterson said.
The PCSD on Saturday took to social media to ask the public to hold off on searches for Guthrie.
“We appreciate their concern, and we all want to find Nancy, but this work is best left to professionals,” the PCSD said. “PCSD has volunteer opportunities if they wish to get involved with the department.”
Zabel said the group understood the boundaries of their role.
“We’re searchers, we’re not investigators, and, you know, it’s pretty simple,” Zabel said. “If we find anything, we take pictures of it, we send it to an email, they’ll vet it out if it’s anything important, and if it’s not, you know.”
Volunteers searched the Pima Wash area and said they recovered several articles of clothing and a backpack, which they notified PCSD about.
PCSD said those items were collected and examined at a nearby substation on Sunday morning. In a message to 13 News, a spokesperson wrote, “After reviewing the bag and its contents, it does not appear that this is a viable lead for the investigation”.
They added that the bag appears to have been outside for longer than three weeks.
Volunteers searched for Nancy Guthrie and any evidence in washes on Sunday, Feb. 22.(13 News)
Volunteer Christy W. said she was committed to joining the effort once a foot search was organized.
“I was determined if they did a foot search that I was going to be part of it,” she said.
Volunteer Maggie Q. said the search was personal for many participants.
“If it was any of our family members, we’d want someone looking,” she said. “It could even be one of us. So it’s really nice to just be here to support and help as much as we can.”
Volunteer Shauntay White, who also runs a YouTube channel and recorded the search for her audience, said she remained hopeful.
“I want to stay positive, and I just want to do my part as a human being to another human being,” she said.
Organizers said another search party may take place Monday, though that has not been confirmed. PCSD is reminding the public to consider private property laws before conducting any private search.
DAY 21: Helicopter not connected to case
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Saturday, Feb. 21, that the helicopter seen over the Los Reales Landfill the day before had nothing to do with the Nancy Guthrie investigation.
On Friday, some national media outlets posted video from the chopper and claimed it was connected to the case. Most of the outlets removed that video later in the day.
Flight tracker websites showed the helicopter did a grid search of the landfill, leading to widespread speculation. The PCSD said it was a private company operating the aircraft.
Also on Saturday, the PCSD said its detectives and FBI agents were canvassing Guthrie’s neighborhood, and no additional details would be provided. There are no planned news conferences, but that could change.
A road near Guthrie’s home became a one-way street on Saturday. The move, which was announced on Friday and is only temporary, was due to the increased traffic in the area and came at the request of the homeowners’ association.
The PCSD said several hundred law enforcement members are still working the case and that the investigation would remain active “until Nancy Guthrie is found or all leads are exhausted.”
Volunteers have shown up to help search the area around Guthrie’s home, but Nanos is asking people to give investigators space and reminds everyone that it is private property. The Guthrie family would have to grant the searchers permission to enter.
“We appreciate their concern, and we all want to find Nancy, but this work is best left to professionals,” the PCSD said in a release on Saturday. “(The) PCSD has volunteer opportunities if they wish to get involved with the department.”
DAY 20: Road changes, expert weighs in
While there were no major developments in the Nancy Guthrie investigation on Friday, Feb. 20, Pima County said the road near her home was being temporarily turned into a one-way due to heavy traffic.
13 News talked with a retired lieutenant from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department about what is likely going on behind the scenes.
Gil Carillo said law enforcement has to be careful about what they share.
“The more they put out, the more information the suspect, or suspects, also gain,” Carillo said. “Because they’re following it just as close, clinging onto every word that goes out about the case. The less they know, the better off law enforcement is.”
A possible key to the case is the DNA that was recovered from inside the victim’s home. 13 News has already reported that it does not belong to Nancy Guthrie or anyone close to her.
The FBI believes a glove recovered near Nancy Guthrie’s home is the same captured in surveillance video on her front porch, the FBI said on Sunday.(Arizona’s Family/FBI/Guthrie Family)
That evidence is being analyzed, and investigators are still waiting for the results. But they have already said that the DNA from gloves found around two miles from Guthrie’s home was not a match for any profiles in the FBI’s database, so they are using familial matching using commercial DNA websites. Investigators are also still looking at the clothing that the suspect was seen wearing in the doorbell camera video.
Carillo said investigations move slowly for a reason.
“We don’t manufacture evidence,” Carillo said. “We don’t manufacture any type of scenario to get a quick answer. Investigators move slowly. They are slow, they’re deliberate, they’re good, so they don’t have to backtrack.”
DAY 19: Searching Mothers of Sonora lend a hand
On Thursday, Feb. 19, a well-known Facebook group joined the search for Nancy Guthrie.
Searching Mothers of Sonora said they are in Tucson to help, and 13 News’ Renee Romo spoke with one of the volunteers.
Lydia Hernandez drove from Nogales to Tucson to lend a hand.
“This is something you don’t see a lot here, the disappearance of a person and even more the disappearance of an elderly person,” Hernadnez said.
Hernandez said her son Jorge has been missing for six years, so she understands some of what the Guthrie family is going through.
She said she thinks her experience in looking for missing people can help.
“Ever since I found out about this person, I wanted to come and share a little knowledge over terrain, over the fields, because I have experience,” she said. “That’s my wish to empathize with this family, because I know what it feels like to have someone missing.”
On Thursday, there was little activity outside of Guthrie’s home in the Catalina Foothills. Authorities were still waiting for test results to come back from the DNA evidence.
CNN has confirmed that Mexican authorities are also working on the search, but a prosecutor in Sonora said his office has not received any information tying Guthrie’s disappearance to that territory.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the case Thursday when asked about it while on Air Force One. You can watch the clip in the tweet below.
Also on Thursday, the PCSD gave an update on the number of tips received in the investigation.
The FBI has received more than 20,000 tips, and people are urged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI. The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
The PCSD said the 911 Communication Center has received more than 31,000 calls so far this month, but they do not track the number related to the Guthrie case. For the same time last year, the call center had fewer than 21,000 calls.
88-CRIME is offering a reward of up to $102,500 for information leading to an arrest in the case. That includes a $100,000 donation from a Minnesota lawyer.
As of 4 p.m. Thursday, the PCSD and FBI said there are no scheduled news conferences.
DAY 18: Biological evidence being tested
On Wednesday, Feb. 18, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said investigators are currently analyzing biological evidence found at Nancy Guthrie’s home.
The DNA profiles previously mentioned are currently under lab analysis, and the PCSD said the number of profiles and other related details remain part of the active investigation.
The PCSD said it has received several requests for confirmation about reports that the FBI has reached out to Mexican authorities about the investigation. The PCSD said it is not confirming or releasing any information about that at this time. 13 News has reached out to the FBI for comment.
The attorney of the man who was detained at a home near First and Orange Grocer this past Friday released a statement. 13 News is not identifying the man as he has not been charged with a crime.
The Scileppi Law confirmed that the man and his mother were detained when two search warrants were served at the home in connection with the case.
The law firm said the man has no link to Nancy Guthrie and “has no information related to her kidnapping. Like the entire Tucson community, both (our client) and his mother are hopeful that Nancy will be returned to her family unharmed.”
(WTVG)
AZ Family True Crime Correspondent Briana Whitney reported on Wednesday that a source told her that polygraphs are being used by investigators, but PCSD said it will not comment as the investigation is ongoing.
The PCSD also said it had a SWAT situation on Wednesday, but it had nothing to do with the Guthrie case.
“We do not share where our teams are dispatched to for officer safety,” the PCSD said.
Also on Wednesday, https://www.kold.com/2026/02/18/man-offering-additional-100000-reward-information-nancy-guthrie-case/ has stepped up and offered $100,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case. That means the 88-CRIME reward is now $102,500, and the FBI reward is $1000,000.
DAY 17: No DNA match in FBI database
A spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday, Feb. 17, said that the DNA from a glove found near Nancy Guthrie’s home did not yield a match.
The PCSD also said the DNA from the glove did not match the sample found at her home, which was already confirmed not to be from Nancy Guthrie or anyone in close contact with her.
The PCSD said the negative match comes after the DNA was run through the FBI’s CODIS System.
CODIS stands for Combined DNA Index System. It is a program that tracks state, local, and national DNA profiles from convicted offenders, unsolved evidence from crime scenes, and missing persons. The PCSD said investigators are now turning to commercial genealogical databases, like Ancestry.com, to search for familial matches to the glove DNA.
The FBI believes a glove recovered near Nancy Guthrie’s home is the same captured in surveillance video on her front porch, the FBI said on Sunday.(Arizona’s Family/FBI/Guthrie Family)
That method has been used more and more when a DNA sample isn’t in the law enforcement databases. One of the most famous incidents came with the 2018 arrest of the Golden State Killer, Joseph James DeAngelo.
Investigators were able to trace DNA to DeAngelo because a relative of his had uploaded their DNA to one of the commercial genealogical databases. Detectives were able to build out a family tree that led to DeAngelo.
Also on Tuesday, the PCSD said investigators returned to Nancy Guthrie’s home and that details “are not being shared at this time.”
CNN shot video of plain-clothed law enforcement on a ladder at a home next door to Nancy Guthrie’s on Tuesday. They appeared to be looking at security cameras on that house.
Meanwhile, 13 News has learned the reward amount has increased for information leading to an arrest in the Nancy Guthrie investigation.
The FBI is offering $100,000, which has not changed.
88-CRIME tells 13 News a verified supplemental reward of $100,000 has been donated specifically for information leading to an arrest in the Nancy Guthrie investigation. This amount is in addition to the standard 88-CRIME reward, bringing the total to $102,500.
DAY 16: Family not considered suspects
On Monday, Feb. 16, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said none of Nancy Guthrie’s family members are considered suspects in the case.
“Not one single person in the family is a suspect,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told 13 News. “So I am telling everyone, effective today, you guys (media) need to knock it off, quit. People are hurting. They are victims. I am saying they are clear. We have cleared them.”
Nanos tells 13 News the family has been “100% cooperative” and family members were ruled out as suspects “in the first few days.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos.(AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Also on Monday, Nanos told CBS News that the clothing and facemask worn by the suspect may have come from Walmart and is one of the “most promising leads” in the case.
Nanos said investigators have been at local Walmarts looking through surveillance video for several days.
Walmart has also provided records of every Ozark Trail Hiker purchased online and in stores over the past several months, including beyond the Tucson area.
DAY 14-15: Black glove, burglary, DNA testing
A source close to the Nancy Guthrie investigation said Sunday, Feb. 15, there is a belief her disappearance was the result of “a burglary gone wrong.”
In the past week, multiple experts who reviewed the doorbell camera footage with reporters from our Phoenix station said the incident did not appear to be a planned kidnapping. Now, the inside source says that investigators believe this was a burglary gone wrong.
That source also says the “widespread investigative belief is Nancy Guthrie could be alive.”
Also on Sunday, Savannah Guthrie released another video and said the family still has hope and called on the potential kidnappers to do the right thing.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos responded to that report by saying, “motive is hard to place right now without a suspect in custody, so everything is just speculative.”
Also Sunday, the FBI said it is waiting for confirmation of DNA testing on gloves found near the home of Nancy Guthrie.
She has now been missing for more than two weeks.
The FBI says the gloves were found near the side of the road about two miles from the Guthrie home.
In its statement, the FBI said: “The FBI received preliminary results yesterday on 2/14 and is awaiting quality control and official confirmation today before putting the unknown male profile into CoDIS, the national database unique to the bureau. This process typically takes 24 hours from when the bureau receives DNA.
The FBI said investigators collected “approximately 16 gloves in various areas” near the Guthrie house, but most of them were searchers’ gloves discarded in various areas when they searched the area.
(Ty ONeil | AP)
According to the FBI, the one with the DNA profile recovered is different and appears to match the gloves of the subject in the surveillance video.
Meanwhile, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos says no sign of Nancy Guthrie was found at a nearby home, where a large law enforcement presence was found late Friday, Feb. 13.
The home is near First and Orange Grove, which is less than two miles from the crime scene. The PCSD confirmed it was connected to Guthrie’s disappearance.
Sheriff Nanos says the activity was the result of following up on “a lead that led to a search warrant and no arrests.”
13 News spoke with a resident of the neighborhood who witnessed the search on Friday.
“There were a lot of cars coming down,” one resident said. “It was totally blocked off, and even homeowners had to wait a couple of hours to get home.”
Neighbors say the search lasted for about eight hours, with crews leaving the area around 4 a.m.
He tells 13 News that a traffic stop was made on a person of interest. The individual was cooperative and later released.
The sheriff added that anyone at the residence was technically “detained” since it is standard procedure to give investigators serving a warrant the freedom to conduct their search. He wasn’t at the scene and doesn’t know the exact number.
Sheriff Nanos said after a man was detained in Rio Rico that we should expect more of these types of events as investigators work through all leads.
He says the leads start at the command post and move to the field as needed, so that is a reason we’re seeing activity build up as the day goes on that can ultimately lead to a search warrant looking for Nancy and any suspect involved.
DAY 13: Home search, traffic stop
13 News reporter Sean Mahoney was one of the first on scene at First and Orange Grove. He said roads were blocked in the area, and there were vehicles from several agencies, including the PCSD, FBI, Marana PD, Oro Valley PD, and Sahuarita PD.
That is not unusual, as the Pima County SWAT is made up of officers from multiple departments, and numerous agencies have been helping in the 13-day investigation. There were also a few white forensic or crime scene vans.
At first, the PCSD said a public information officer would meet the reporters, but later said there would be no news conference tonight. The PCSD did say that reports that the law enforcement activity was at the home of a former county attorney are not accurate.
13 News also saw several PCSD vehicles at the Culver’s at First and River. They appeared to be going through a silver Range Rover.
Sheriff Nanos confirmed that the vehicle was processed and towed.
A photo of that scene can be seen below.
Investigators were searching a silver Range Rover in the parking lot of the Culver’s at First and River.(Megan Butler / 13 News)
The late-night activity came just hours after the PCSD released a major update in the case.
The PCSD said new DNA samples from her home were sent off for testing, and that the DNA is not from Guthrie or anyone in close contact with her.
“We are not disclosing where that DNA was located,” the PCSD said in a release.
The PCSD reiterated that no one has been ruled out as a suspect, and no suspect vehicle has been identified.
The PCSD confirmed several gloves have been found during the investigation, as 13 News has already reported. But the closest gloves were around two miles from the crime scene, and the PCSD said reports of gloves being found inside the home or on the property are untrue.
The Guthrie family scheduled routine pool maintenance on Friday, and the PCSD said it had nothing to do with the investigation.
The PCSD said investigations are still following up on leads, and that the new description of the suspect released by the FBI earlier in the week remains the focus.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen alive at her home in the Catalina Foothills on Saturday, Jan. 31. She was reported missing the next day when she didn’t show up for church.
Her disappearance triggered a large search and investigation, with the FBI and other local, state, and federal agencies helping the PCSD.
News
“SHE DID EVERYTHING RIGHT… UNTIL THIS HIDDEN COMBINATION CHANGED EVERYTHING.” A Tragedy No One Warned About
EXCLUSIVE: THE ‘DEATH BATCH’ AND THE SECRET CONTRACT — SHOCKING NEW TWISTS IN THE $1M LAWSUIT OVER TEEN CHEERLEADER’S ENERGY DRINK DEATH EDINBURG, Texas — What began as a $1.0 million wrongful death lawsuit has spiraled into a global scandal as “bombshell” evidence suggests the death of 17-year-old Larissa Rodriguez was no freak accident. New reports […]
“IT WASN’T JUST CAFFEINE… AND NO ONE SAW IT COMING.” The Hidden Interaction That Took a Star Cheerleader’s Life
EXCLUSIVE: THE ‘DEATH BATCH’ AND THE SECRET CONTRACT — SHOCKING NEW TWISTS IN THE $1M LAWSUIT OVER TEEN CHEERLEADER’S ENERGY DRINK DEATH EDINBURG, Texas — What began as a $1.0 million wrongful death lawsuit has spiraled into a global scandal as “bombshell” evidence suggests the death of 17-year-old Larissa Rodriguez was no freak accident. New reports […]
“THE CLUE WAS ORDINARY… BUT THE TRUTH ISN’T.” A Rescuer’s Detail Is Changing Everything
Lynette Hooker has been missing since authorities said she went overboard while on a dinghy with her husband Lynette and Brian Hooker.Credit : Lynette Hooker Facebook Alcohol could have played a part in the disappearance of an American woman who “reportedly fell overboard” while on a dinghy with her husband in the Bahamas, a rescuer told […]
“IT WAS THERE THE WHOLE TIME… AND NO ONE NOTICED.” A Rescuer Points to One Familiar Item That Could Explain Everything
Lynette Hooker has been missing since authorities said she went overboard while on a dinghy with her husband Lynette and Brian Hooker.Credit : Lynette Hooker Facebook Alcohol could have played a part in the disappearance of an American woman who “reportedly fell overboard” while on a dinghy with her husband in the Bahamas, a rescuer told […]
“HIS DENIAL ONLY MADE THINGS WORSE.” The Man at the Center Speaks—But Doubts Keep Growing
A Hawaii jury has convicted Gerhardt Konig of attempted manslaughter based upon extreme mental or emotional disturbance A Hawaii jury has ruled anesthesiologist Gerhardt Konig is guilty of trying to push his wife off a cliff in March 2025. Konig was convicted of attempted manslaughter based upon extreme mental or emotional disturbance, which carries a […]
“WE WERE JUST COLLEAGUES… THAT’S ALL.” But His Statement Is Raising Even More Questions 💔 The man linked to Gerhardt Konig’s wife has finally broken his silence—insisting their relationship was strictly professional.
A Hawaii jury has convicted Gerhardt Konig of attempted manslaughter based upon extreme mental or emotional disturbance A Hawaii jury has ruled anesthesiologist Gerhardt Konig is guilty of trying to push his wife off a cliff in March 2025. Konig was convicted of attempted manslaughter based upon extreme mental or emotional disturbance, which carries a […]
End of content
No more pages to load
