THE FBI has reported a DNA breakthrough in the Nancy Guthrie case as the search enters its third week.
It comes as preliminary forensic results have come back from a glove that was recovered near the crime scene.
The FBI say they have found a glove with a DNA profile that appears to match the suspect from doorbell footageCredit: AP
Today show host Savannah Guthrie pictured with her mom NancyCredit: Instagram/savannahguthrie
Investigators believe the missing 84-year-old was abducted from her Tucson home sometime around 2am on February 1.
With few leads to follow, attention is still focused on the doorbell footage recovered from her home on the night she disappeared, which showed a masked intruder with thick black gloves tampering with her camera.
An FBI spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Sunday that a glove with a DNA profile that was recovered as part of evidence collection in the case, appears to match the gloves of the man in the video.
They added that it is different from the other gloves they collected from the area surrounding the Tucson property.
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Around 16 gloves were taken in as evidence, with many of them being searchers’ gloves that were discarded.
“The one with the DNA profile recovered is different and appears to match the gloves of the subject in the surveillance video,” the spokesperson said.
What we know about Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance
Today host Savannah Guthrie’s mom is missing after she was abducted from her home Tucson, Arizona on February 1
Blood drops were seen on the front steps of her home
Nancy’s son-in-law was the last person to see her as he dropped her off following a family dinner
Local and federal authorities initially admitted they had no suspects, and no leads
Multiple news outlets have been sent ransom letters that contain specific details about Nancy’s home and clothing
The first ransom deadline passed five days after the abduction, and a second deadline which was said to have “much more serious” conditions also passed
911 reports were made of a suspected trespasser lurking in a neighbor’s yard weeks before the abduction
Cops seized a car from Nancy’s home and removed a roof camera
Eerie new footage was released showing a masked and armed intruder at the home
A delivery driver was detained in connection to Nancy’s disappearance, but he was released hours later
They were found in a field near a road about two miles away from Guthrie’s home and are being processed at a lab in Florida, where they arrived on Friday.
Preliminary results arrived on Saturday and the FBI is now waiting for quality control and official confirmation before putting the unknown male profile into the bureau’s national DNA database CODIS, the spokesperson said.
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This usually takes 24 hours, they added.
On Friday, investigators revealed that mystery DNA found inside Guthrie’s home did not match with anyone “close” to her, though it is not known where the DNA was recovered from.
However, drops of blood were found at the property with chilling pictures showing the splatters outside the $1 million house where there were also signs of forced entry.
Investigators have not said who the blood belongs to.
Investigators are focusing on the doorbell footage of a man they believe is linked to Nancy’s disappearanceCredit: Reuters
Meanwhile, a police expert has said that a $10 Walmart item allegedly spotted at the crime scene could help tighten the net around the suspect in the doorbell video.
So far, all that is known about the suspect is that officials are looking for a man who is around five-foot-nine-inches to five-foot-ten-inches with an average build.
Federal investigators added that he was last seen in the doorbell footage with a black, 25-liter Ozark Hiker Pack backpack.
Now, as well as the brand new DNA evidence, an active-duty Miami-area police officer says the holster the suspect is seen wearing in the video could also help track him down.
The officer who spoke anonymously to Fox News highlighted the man’s holster that can be clearly seen in the footage as he approaches the door.
It seems awkwardly placed on the right side of his body, with the barrel part resting on his groin.
According to the officer, the shape and design of the holster appear to match a Strategy brand available at certain Walmart stores for just $10.
The holster can be seen in the bottom right-hand cornerCredit: FBI
The suspect was also seen with an Ozark backpack on the night Guthrie was takenCredit: FBI
Fox found that as of Saturday, it was in stock at five locations in the area of Guthrie’s home.
Made for right-hand use, the water-resistant holster can carry a firearm with a barrel measuring four to six and a half inches and the officer believes the man was armed with a Walther semiautomatic or similar.
Paired together, it becomes rather distinctive, he claimed adding that there will not have been many purchases of the product that the officer said is unpopular with regular gun users.
Meanwhile, the Ozark backpack that was noted by officials is also available exclusively at Walmart, though more commonly than the holster.
“I think it is more indicative of someone who was grabbing his stuff and improvising,” Betsy Brantner Smith, a retired police sergeant and trainer, told the news outlet.
“Probably less people bought the holster than bought the backpack,” he added, saying that investigators will be able to cross-reference recent purchases of both items to help close in on the suspect.
No officials connected to the case have commented on the holster.
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As the devastating search for Nancy continues, Savannah is reportedly looking to permanently quit The Today Show.
It comes as sources claim the co-host fears a TV segment filmed before the kidnapping made her mom a target.
