Because the seek for Nancy Guthrie stretches into its third week, there may be rising concern that the path to seek out the lacking 84-year-old is quickly rising chilly.
Investigators have detained two individuals since Guthrie was kidnapped from her Tucson residence within the early hours of Feb. 1. However each had been launched after questioning and no suspects have been publicly recognized.
Authorities insist the case remains to be very a lot lively, with the FBI receiving greater than 19,000 ideas. However the case is branching off into some new instructions.
Take a look at Mexico
Legislation enforcement sources advised The Instances that investigators have been in contact with Mexican authorities within the case given Tucson’s shut proximity to the border, however there isn’t a proof that the abductors crossed with Guthrie.
The sources spoke on situation of anonymity to debate the case candidly.
The Guthrie residence in Tucson is simply about an hour’s drive from the border. Supply confused the request for assist from Mexico was to exhaust all choices however there’s no clear proof suggesting both Guthrie or the abductors are there.
State of the investigation
DNA on a glove found 2 miles away from Guthrie’s residence that matched these worn by a masked man seen on Nest digital camera footage didn’t return any matches within the nationwide DNA database utilized by legislation enforcement, CODIS. Organic proof that was discovered at Guthrie’s residence remains to be being examined, however didn’t produce a match in CODIS, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos advised Fox Information this week.
An nameless donor this week gifted $100,000 to 88-CRIME for data that will lead investigators to arrest the person concerned in Guthrie’s disappearance. That is along with the $100,000 reward for data being provided by the FBI.
Nanos has tried to dispel issues that investigators are hitting nothing however lifeless ends, telling NBC Information that “so long as we’ve the power to chase a lead, it’s not chilly.”
“We now have hundreds of leads we’re ,” he mentioned. “We’re going to seek out Nancy, and we’re going to seek out who did this.”
Thus far, consultants say investigators’ finest guess to fixing the case shortly can be if somebody acknowledges the suspect in Nest video footage of a masked man seen on Guthrie’s porch the morning she was kidnapped.
At 1:47 a.m. Feb. 1, the person seems on the door of Guthrie’s residence. The person is carrying a balaclava, gloves and a backpack. A gun is holstered by the person’s waist, positioned on the entrance of his physique and simply seen.
At one level, the person, who authorities describe as roughly between 5’9” and 5’10” with a median construct, notices the digital camera on the entrance porch and tries to cowl the lens together with his hand. The person scouts across the patio and yard space apparently for one thing to hinder the digital camera earlier than deciding on some greenery discovered within the yard.
Within the video, the person is carrying a black, 25-liter ‘Ozark Path Hiker Pack’ backpack that may be bought at Walmart, in accordance with the FBI. Investigators have been working with Walmart management to see if they will determine who bought the backpack.
Authorities are additionally canvassing gun retailers exhibiting the video launched by the FBI to see if anybody acknowledges him, in accordance with the sheriff’s division.
Investigators make use of genetic family tree
DNA discovered contained in the Guthrie residence may additionally show fruitful within the case, consultants say.
Whereas legislation enforcement didn’t get any hits within the federal database, they’re additionally using genetic family tree in an effort to determine a suspect within the case.
“If they really have the suspect’s DNA—Nancy’s kidnapper’s DNA—he can be recognized by genetic family tree,” mentioned CeCe Moore, a genetic genealogist and co-founder of DNA Justice. “It’s only a matter of time.”
Authorities can examine DNA collected from Guthrie’s residence to publicly accessible databases containing the genetic profiles of thousands and thousands of people that have given them over for household historical past analysis and different causes. From there, investigators can typically discover distant kinfolk to assist piece collectively a household tree that may level to a suspect.
The expertise has helped remedy a number of the nation’s most high-profile instances in recent times. Investigators used genetic family tree to determine Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. because the Golden State Killer who terrorized California within the Nineteen Seventies and 80s. It was additionally used to safe the conviction of Bryan Kohberger, who was sentenced to life in jail for murdering 4 faculty college students in Idaho in 2022.
There’s limitation to the expertise, however legislation enforcement sources advised The Instances it’s seemingly one of the best ways ahead.
Legislation enforcement doesn’t have quick access to the roughly 50 million genetic profiles contained in Ancestry.com, 23andMe and MyHeritage databases. The businesses have barred authorities from accessing such data and mentioned they might launch it provided that compelled by a court docket order or warrant.
Databases GEDmatch, FamilyTreeDNA and DNA Justice are open to legislation enforcement use, however include lower than 2 million genetic profiles, Moore mentioned.
With fewer genetic profiles to work with there may be extra legwork concerned, however Moore mentioned it is going to seemingly be key to figuring out a suspect.
“It may occur in minutes, hours, days, weeks, however I don’t assume it’ll stretch for much longer than that due to all of the sources out there for this case,” she mentioned.
Looking for her pacemaker
Legislation enforcement has additionally deployed “sign sniffer” expertise within the seek for Guthrie.
Parsons Corp confirmed this week that the Pima County Sheriff’s Division requested its assist early this month deploying BlueFly items to seek for Guthrie. BlueFly is a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi sensor that can be utilized on air and floor automobiles for search and rescue operations in difficult environments, offering authorities with a warmth map to determine indicators inside a particular space, in accordance with the corporate.
BlueFly can detect medical units like Guthrie’s pacemaker.
