A genetic expert who helped crack Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger’s case says there’s still hope of building a DNA profile on the glove found near Nancy Guthrie’s Arizona home — even though the FBI came back with zero matches in its database.
David Mittelman, CEO of Texas-based Othram, Inc., told The Post on Wednesday that the apparent blow in failing to get a match to known criminals is no different than what happened during the exhaustive hunt for Kohberger.
Like with the quadruple killer, the suspect in Guthrie’s case could still be nailed by DNA if it’s used in forensic-grade genome sequencing, which essentially builds a detailed profile that can be used in online genealogical databases.
Nancy Guthrie, mom of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing on Feb. 1, 2026.Courtesy NBC Universal
“Speed is paramount in active investigations. The same scientific approach can be applied here if sufficient DNA remains,” he said.
It comes after authorities revealed Tuesday that the mystery DNA found on the glove discovered roughly 2 miles from Guthrie’s home in Tucson had come back with no hits in the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, database.
When investigators were trying to solve the Idaho murders in 2022, Kohberger’s DNA wasn’t found in CODIS, given he had no prior criminal record.
Mittelman said genetic genealogy, which essentially builds a detailed profile that can be used in genealogical databases, can help find matches dating back through generations of family trees.
CODIS, on the other hand, often only finds a complete match to a person or direct relative.
“A lack of a CODIS ‘hit’ does not mean the DNA isn’t useful. It simply means the person is not in that database. CODIS is just one of many forensic tools,” Mittelman said.
A masked suspect outside Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Arizona, on Feb. 1, 2026.FBI
“If there is usable DNA on the glove or other evidence, advanced genome testing can generate a far more detailed profile and identify relatives, even distant ones. We have worked thousands of cases across the US and internationally where traditional methods failed and still achieved successful outcomes.”
The DNA sequencing his forensic company uses helped the FBI identify Kohberger as the killer in the Idaho college murders in 2022.
He stressed, though, that the genome sequencing needed to be done soon rather than later.
“In the Idaho case, Othram built a comprehensive profile in days, and that profile helped identify the suspect. We did the same in the Rachel Morin case which was also an active realtime case,” he said.
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“This is a newer area of forensic science, and not all methods perform the same. Some approaches are not designed for speed or for challenging samples. In active cases, especially an abduction, the work must be done quickly and carefully using the right methods.”
Bryan Kohberger in a booking photo from the Monroe County, Pennsylvania Correctional Facility after his arrest on Dec. 20, 2022.Monroe County Correctional Facil/AFP via Getty Images
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The sheriff’s department leading the investigation into Guthrie’s disappearance has confirmed it’s looking to feed DNA evidence into other “genetic genealogy” databases after failing to get a hit on a glove that appeared to match ones worn by the masked suspect.
In addition to the glove, other DNA found in Guthrie’s home also did not match any records in the FBI database.
Authorities previously said the recovered black glove appeared to be the same kind as the one worn by a masked man seen in surveillance footage at Guthrie’s house before her Feb. 1 abduction.
