In short
- Nancy Guthrie was reported missing earlier this month.
- A promising lead did not yield a breakthrough, but research continues.
Hopes for a breakthrough in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping investigation have been dented as the case enters its third week.
The 84-year-old mother of Australian-born US Today host Savannah Guthrie was reported missing earlier this month.
Authorities believe she was kidnapped and had hoped that a glove — discarded in a roadside field about two miles from her home in Tuscon, Arizona — would yield a DNA “hit” if submitted for comparison with known DNA profiles stored in a national database.
But the PIMA County Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced on Tuesday (local time) that there was no match.
As authorities continue their investigation, here’s what we know so far.
When did Nancy Guthrie go missing?
Nancy Guthrie is a recognizable face to some American television viewers who have appeared with Savannah on the morning show several times over the years – most recently in November.
The 84 year old was last seen on January 31 when she was dropped off at her home near Tucson by her family after having dinner with them, and was reported missing by relatives the next day, authorities said.
Sheriff Chris Nanos has said the Guthrie was extremely limited in her physical mobility and could not have left her home without assistance, leading investigators to conclude early on that she had been taken against her will.
Guthrie’s family says her health is poor and she needs daily medication to survive. It is unclear whether Guthrie has had access to medication in the weeks since her disappearance.
Nanos told Reuters last week that no evidence of life has emerged since the kidnapping, but added that “there is also no evidence of death whatsoever,” saying his working assumption is that Nancy Guthrie is still alive.
Authorities are treating her disappearance as an apparent kidnapping for ransom.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to US$100,000 ($142,000) for information leading to Guthrie’s location or the arrest of her kidnappers.
Who are the suspects?
No one has been publicly named and authorities have been cleared her family On Monday, they said they had “been nothing but cooperative and kind and are victims in this case.”
“To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it’s cruel. The Guthrie family is clearly the victim…’
Although no one has yet been identified, investigators have released several photos and videos showing a person wearing gloves, a mask and a backpack approaching Guthrie’s door in eerie black-and-white footage.
A gun in a holster is apparently visible on the person’s waist.
Nanos has said he believes the man, captured on video trying to disable her doorbell camera in the early morning hours shortly before she was kidnapped, is the likely perpetrator and the main suspect authorities are looking for.
The FBI believes the man is between 175 and 177 cm tall and has an average build.
The gloves discarded in a field looked similar to the gloves the man was wearing. Although they did not return a DNA match, the sheriff said additional DNA evidence found at Guthrie’s home was still being analyzed.
Nanos did not say on Tuesday where the DNA was found in the home, but suspected that they may have something belonging to the suspect in their possession.
Last week, an official said that traces of blood found on Guthrie’s porch were confirmed by DNA testing as being Guthrie’s.
How do authorities investigate Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance?
Much of the investigation involved old-fashioned detective work, with investigators working with store managers of U.S. retail giant Walmart to track down a person who purchased the backpack seen in the video, the sheriff’s office said.
Phillip Martin, co-owner of a Tucson gun shop, told Reuters on Tuesday that an FBI agent who acknowledged working on the Guthrie case visited his store with a list of fewer than 20 potential customers and asked if anyone had bought a gun there. Martin said he had checked, but no one had.
The visit to this gun shop was over a week ago and law enforcement continues to refine lists of potential persons of interest. The list shown to gun stores was developed from cross-referencing purchases of backpacks and holsters and other data points, a law enforcement official told Reuters.
In other efforts, the sheriff’s department said investigators are working with a manufacturer and experts to locate Guthrie by detecting her pacemaker. News media reported that a “signal sniffer” device – technology that produces a heat map to identify potential search targets within a given area – has been attached to low-flying aircraft.
The department said it is also still processing evidence from two search warrants executed last week. People held for questioning have been released.
“As this investigation continues, expect similar activity,” the department said.
Although he doesn’t have “any evidence” to prove this, Nanos told the BBC he believes Guthrie is being held in the area.
Alleged ransom notes
Since her disappearance, at least two alleged ransom notes have surfaced, both of which were initially delivered to the news media.
There is no known direct contact between suspects and Guthrie’s family or authorities.
Savannah Guthrie, 54, along with her brother Camron Guthrie and sister Annie Guthrie, have posted several video messages pleading for their mother’s return and asking for the public’s help in solving the case.
Last weekend she again made a plea against her mother’s kidnappers.
“It’s never too late to do the right thing,” she said.
“We are here… And we believe in the essential goodness of every human being.”
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