With investigators probing Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance parsing through thousands of tips, retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent Richard Kolko tells CNN it would be “fairly routine” to see people temporarily detained and released.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed today a federal court-ordered search warrant was carried out at a residence last night “based on a lead” investigators received but no arrests were made.
How genetic genealogy could come into play in Nancy Guthrie case, according to experts
From CNN’s Elise Hammond
A person signs a banner that reads “Bring her home” and shows a photo of Nancy Guthrie at the KVOA newsroom, where Savannah worked earlier in her career, in Tucson, on February 12.
Rebecca Noble/Reuters
As investigators work to determine who the DNA they have in the Nancy Guthrie case belongs to, they may turn to genetic genealogy to give them a lead, experts say.
The powerful forensic method has spread widely among law enforcement investigators over the past few years.
Criminal investigators can take an unknown DNA profile and upload it to a public database to learn about the person’s family members. Investigators can then use the genealogical information and other evidence to build back through the family tree and identify potential suspects.
Frank Figliuzzi, a former FBI assistant director, said officials likely already ruled out that the DNA belonged to Guthrie’s family members or others who were in the house for other reasons. It also did not pull any matches with known offenders in the FBI’s database, he said.
Now, investigators may be “reaching out to various private sector databases to see if someone might be related to the DNA sample that they have,” he said.
Genetic genealogy has been used successfully in several other high-profile cases, including that of Bryan Kohberger, who pleaded guilty to killing four University of Idaho students in 2022.
Even if the DNA does not ultimately belong to a suspect, it still could provide officials with a critical new lead to find Guthrie, said Bryanna Fox, a former FBI agent.
“That could be a huge break,” she said.
Remember: Investigators found DNA at Guthrie’s property that doesn’t belong to her or those close to her, officials said. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told CNN Friday the lab they’re working with already has DNA from Guthrie, her family, her landscaper and housekeeper.
CNN’s Eric Levenson contributed reporting to this post.
True crime streamers “keep the attention” on Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance
From CNN’s Leah Asmelash, Leigh Waldman and Brian Stelter
John DePetro during an interview with CNN on Saturday in Tucson, Arizona.
CNN
As the search for Nancy Guthrie continues into its second week, true crime streamers and podcasters have descended on Arizona alongside traditional media outlets.
John DePetro, who has more than 250,000 followers across TikTok and Facebook, flew to Arizona from his home in Rhode Island just three days after news of Guthrie’s disappearance broke. DePetro, who doesn’t have a law enforcement background, does ride alongs with local police and participates in a fugitive task force.
Tens of thousands of people have tuned into his live streams, and even more will watch later. He said his moment-by-moment videos are “for the people that can’t get enough of it.”
Andy Signore of Popcorned Planet has been streaming about the case from his home in Tampa, Florida, to his YouTube following of more than 950,000. While in Tucson visiting family, he covered the scene in person. The area surrounding Guthrie’s home, where live streamers have gathered, is an “intense setup,” he told CNN’s Leigh Waldman, and the work the streamers are doing is “really important.”
“We want transparency,” he said. The streamers, Signore said, are “keeping their boots on the ground, to keep the attention on the case, to try to find any loose ends.”
There is recognition that “the breakthrough tip could come from anyone, from anywhere,” as one person involved in the investigation told CNN’s Brian Stelter
But there have been times throughout the investigation when the aggressive, anything-goes social media coverage has been “unhelpful,” the person said.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has repeatedly tried to tamp down rumors about the purported existence of a “prime suspect” and has asked people not to spread unsubstantiated info. “Social media’s kind of an ugly world sometimes,” Sheriff Chris Nanos said last week.
Community members continue to show support for Guthrie family as the agonizing search drags on
From CNN’s Alaa Elassar, Norma Galeana, Leigh Waldman and Joel Williams
People deliver flowers to a makeshift memorial at the entrance to Nancy Guthrie’s residence on Thursday in Tucson, Arizona.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Tucson residents have been visiting the makeshift tribute site in front of the home of Nancy Guthrie, who has been missing for two weeks, leaving flowers, notes and even a cherub as they hope for her safe return.
Eduardo Ortiz, a local resident, said he felt compelled to pay his respects. “We’ve been following the story on the news and we feel bad, our hearts are really, really down,” Ortiz told CNN. “We see (Savannah Guthrie) every day on the ‘Today’ show and she’s part of our family on the show, so we felt that we had to come out here.”
Ortiz expressed anger and sorrow over Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance: “I don’t understand it. Why would somebody want to hurt somebody like that?”
“I hope they find her alive, and I hope they find her healthy and they get the guy that did this to her,” he said.
Susie Gray, who lives just four miles from Guthrie’s home, was seen placing a cherub from her garden at the tribute site. “It’s supposed to bring peace and protection,” she told CNN. “I know how Savannah and Nancy have so much faith in their God … I just want them to know how much we all love them and how Tucson has pulled together for them.”
Gray described the pain of watching the case unfold so close to home and said she has “felt so hopeless.”
On Saturday, a neighbor who says her mother played mahjong with Nancy Guthrie lit candles and laid mahjong tiles at the tribute site by Nancy’s mailbox.
“It’s just kind of an unfathomable horror, I just can’t imagine what the family is going through,” the neighbor said. “It’s pretty shocking, this is a really quiet neighborhood.”
Residents like Ortiz and Gray continue to plead for answers, their frustration mounting as the search stretches into its 14th day, describing the wait as emotionally devastating.
“We want her home,” Gray said. “I wish we could get some sign of what’s going on, some clue, some big clue.”
No arrests after last night’s search near Nancy Guthrie’s home. Here’s what else we know
From CNN’s Nina Giraldo
A Pima County sheriffs official stays outside of Nancy Guthrie‘s home on Saturday, in Tucson, Arizona.
Ty O’Neil/AP
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed today that a federal court-ordered search warrant was carried out at a residence Friday night in connection with the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. No arrests were made during the search, which was “based on a lead” investigators received.
Law enforcement operations like these could become more frequent as investigators sort through leads, law enforcement analyst John Miller told CNN’s Michael Smerconish today.
Here’s what we know:
Suspect’s physical profile: The FBI released doorbell footage showing a masked figure outside Guthrie’s front door, describing the suspect as a male approximately 5’9” to 5’10” tall with an average build. The man was wearing dark clothing, black gloves, sneakers and a black, 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack” backpack, the bureau said. DNA discovered: Forensic teams uncovered DNA at Guthrie’s home that does not match her or anyone in her immediate circle. Authorities said it is currently undergoing laboratory analysis, along with multiple pieces of evidence including several gloves, which were found as far as 10 miles away. Tips and more tips: More than 30,000 tips have flooded in since the case began two weeks ago, and authorities say each lead is being carefully assessed.
Here’s how Guthrie’s community is reacting to her absence:
Guthrie is a leader, friend says: Guthrie’s sudden and shocking absence has left a hole not only in the lives of her family, but the many people who she worked with to advance causes she cared deeply about. Flowers a little different this Valentine’s Day: A memorial of candles and yellow roses is growing outside of her home as the community rallies together.
CNN’s Alaa Elassar, Ray Sanchez, Elizabeth Wolfe, Leigh Waldman, Joel Williams and Jay McMichael contributed to this report.
Suspect has to be “looking over his shoulder,” former FBI special agent says
From CNN’s Ray Sanchez
FBI and SWAT units perform operations in a neighborhood approximately two miles from Nancy Guthrie’s residence in Tucson, on Friday.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
While Friday’s late-night law enforcement operation related to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie did not lead to an arrest, a former FBI hostage negotiator called the development “great news.”
“They’re following every lead, every tip, anybody that calls in. And if it sounds like it’s verifiable, it has a possibility of producing results, they’re going to go,” Chip Massey told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield, referring to investigators.
“We like seeing that. I know it’s disappointing for the family, of course, heartbreaking. But for everyone else, it’s an encouraging sign.”
Other positive signs include DNA found at Guthrie’s property that doesn’t belong to her or those close to her, and an image of a suspect captured in doorbell footage.
“Now that we have these, there is nobody that’s more afraid right now than the captor,” Massey said. “This world has gotten very, very small, and he’s operating under fear, under huge stress. Every movement that he makes, every time he’s out in public, perhaps, he’s got to be looking over his shoulder.”
Investigators, on the other hand, are “locked in” and “methodical” in assessing and analyzing the mounting leads in the two-week-old case, according to Massey.
“The advantage for us right now is on our side,” the former FBI special agent said. “I am not at all upset that this has taken a little bit longer.”
Take the “leap” and call police if you think you could help, retired FBI agent says
From CNN’s Nina Giraldo
A combination of images captured by a security camera show what the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) describes as an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance on February 1.
Pima County Sheriff’s Department/Handout/Reuters
With chilling video showing an armed man outside Nancy Guthrie’s home, it’s important to pick up the phone and call law enforcement if you recognize something, retired FBI agent Richard Kolko told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield.
Kolko said the man’s “gait,” or his walk away from the camera, could be significant to that person’s recognition.
“Somebody recognizes the way that person moved,” Kolko said, but people might not “make that leap” to call law enforcement. That could be because they’re “afraid to get involved” or don’t want to embarrass someone they might be wrong about.
That’s why rewards are important to “bridge that gap” to encourage people to call, Kolko said.
The FBI increased the reward from $50,000 to $100,000 for information that helps find Guthrie, or an arrest and conviction of those involved in her disappearance.
