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The ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie has investigators relying on DNA evidence to uncover new leads. Authorities are optimistic that the collected samples will yield a DNA profile to aid in identifying crucial information.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told KVOA-TV Feb. 2 that authorities collected DNA samples from Nancy’s Tucson-area home after Savannah Guthrie’s mom disappeared over the weekend.
“We’ve gathered samples that we hope will provide a clear DNA profile, helping us understand what we’re dealing with,” stated Nanos.
Officials suspect that Nancy, who is 84 and faces physical challenges, was likely subjected to foul play, transforming the case into an abduction scenario. Her disappearance from her home in Catalina Foothills, Arizona, raises concerns due to her inability to leave the premises independently.
Kevin Adger, a spokesperson for the department, shared with The Los Angeles Times, “Investigators now believe she was forcibly removed from her home, possibly during the night. The situation is being treated as a potential kidnapping or abduction.”
According to an anonymous police source cited by The Times, traces of blood were discovered inside the residence.
When Did Nancy Guthrie Disappear?
Nancy was last seen by a family member inside the home sometime between 9:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. on Jan. 31. When she failed to show up for church the next morning, a concerned churchgoer reached out to the family, who spent about an hour searching the home before calling 911 around noon, NBC News reported.
“We know she didn’t just walk out of there,” Nanos explained in a Feb. 2 press conference. “We know there are other things at the site, at the scene, that indicate there was, there was a—she did not leave on her own. We know that.”
Another investigator described the findings inside the home as “suspicious in nature.”
Authorities said they are now in a race against time to find Nancy, who requires daily medication which could prove to be “fatal” without it.
Although physically limited, Nanos said Nancy, who lives alone, is of “great sound mind.”
“She’s just a great lady, from what I’ve heard, and I feel for the family,” he said in the press conference. “We just want to find her and bring her back safe.”
Nanos added that investigators have not found “any indication that the public is in danger” as the search for Nancy continues.
Savannah Guthrie Asks For Prayers For Missing Mom Nancy Guthrie
Overnight, Savannah Guthrie asked the public for their prayers and their help.
“We believe in prayer. we believe in voices raised in unison, in love, in hope. we believe in goodness,” the TODAY co-host wrote on Instagram. “We believe in humanity. above all, we believe in Him.”
“Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant,” she continued. “Raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment.”
She concluded the message by writing, “Bring her home.”
When asked Feb. 2 if authorities were considering whether the disappearance could be related to any active threats against Savannah, Nanos said they are considering all possibilities and are not “going to dismiss any angles.”
He added, “Right now, immediately, we don’t know of anything like that.”
Anyone with information about the investigation is being asked to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at (520) 351-4900.