What To Know
- Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos announced that investigators are making progress in identifying DNA from blood found at missing Nancy Guthrie’s home.
- Blood spatter was discovered on Nancy’s property and DNA is being tested at multiple labs including the FBI’s Quantico facility.
- Nanos emphasized the importance of a thorough and patient investigation to ensure fairness and accuracy.
Nancy Guthrie has been missing for over 100 days and counting, but Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has revealed that he thinks investigators are “getting closer” to identifying DNA.
Speaking to People, Nanos pushed back against the claims that the case has gone cold and suggested that blood found at Nancy’s property could soon be identified.
“I know we have DNA that is unknown who the contributor or depositor is, but I think they’re getting closer to finding out who that was,” he told the outlet, adding that he has “confidence in our labs.”
He continued, “When the labs tell us, ‘Hey, there’s nothing else we can do,’ well, then maybe we’ve got a problem… we’ve got a cold case… but right now, the labs aren’t telling us that.”
Nancy, the 84-year-old mother of Today‘s Savannah Guthrie, has beenmissing since February 1, when police believe shewas abductedfrom her home in Tucson, Arizona. While investigators have releaseddoorbell camera footage of a masked suspect and a description of that individual, no suspects have been named.
Blood spatter was found outside Nancy’s property, on her front porch, and on the pathway leading to the street. There has been an ongoing debate about whether the blood belonged to Nancy or her alleged abductor, or possibly both.
Nanos explained how DNA continues to be tested at multiple laboratories across the country, including the FBI’s high-tech lab in Quantico.
“When you have the best minds of the country working on problems, I think they’re gonna solve them,” he stated. “It just takes a while.”
As for why the case is moving so slowly, Nanos explained that an investigation such as this requires patience. “Nobody wants to make a false arrest. Nobody wants to falsely accuse somebody,” he said.
“At some point in time, someday we may have somebody in a courtroom that deserves his or her right to have a fair and impartial trial,” Nanos continued. “The way you get that is through a fair and impartial investigation.”
Nanos acknowledged the public frustration but said it will not deter the investigation. “There’s frustration because people want to know,” he said. “But this is just like any other case. Sometimes you solve them within hours or days. Sometimes it takes a long time.”
