FBI’s Dual-Track Strategy in Nancy Guthrie Case: Awaiting DNA Results for Breakthrough

TUCSON, Ariz. — The investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie has reached its third week, with both authorities and the public eagerly anticipating...
HomeUSUnveiling the Nancy Guthrie Case: Top 5 Critical Evidence Pieces Revealed

Unveiling the Nancy Guthrie Case: Top 5 Critical Evidence Pieces Revealed

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TUCSON, Ariz. — Nancy Guthrie vanished from her residence in the Catalina Foothills of Tucson in the early hours of February 1, as reported by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in Arizona.

She is the mother of “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, and her disappearance has captured attention worldwide.

Sheriff Chris Nanos of Pima County initially stated that her home was treated as a crime scene, suggesting she was taken from there involuntarily.

Since that time, both public and private investigations have uncovered new evidence, although no suspects have been identified nor arrests made by deputies or the FBI.

Nancy Guthrie and Savannah Guthrie posing together for a photo.

A photo of Nancy Guthrie with her daughter, Savannah Guthrie, was released by NBC amid the search for the 84-year-old mother of the “Today” show presenter. (Courtesy of NBC)

The timeline

Earlier this month, Nanos revealed a timeline showing Guthrie ate dinner with relatives and was dropped off at home by family around 9:48 p.m. on Jan. 31. Detectives determined her garage door closed at 9:50.

Timeline on TV of Guthrie disappearance

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department released a timeline of events in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. (Fox News Digital/Michael Ruiz)

At 1:47 a.m. on Feb. 1, her Nest doorbell camera went offline. At 2:28 a.m., Guthrie’s pacemaker device lost connection with her smartphone. She was reported missing around noon later that day.

WATCH: Video of subject in Nancy Guthrie case

Here’s a look at the key evidence: 

1. The video

Shocking video recovered from her missing Nest camera shows a masked man on her doorstep, who appears to be carrying a stuffed backpack and a holstered gun.

The video contains several clues about the suspect. According to FBI analysts, he is between 5 feet, 9 inches tall and 5 feet, 10 inches tall, has a medium build and was carrying a black Ozark Trail brand backpack, sold at Walmart stores for around $11.

The $10 holster has also been tentatively identified as another Walmart product, a large-sized Strategy branded hip holster designed for a revolver, according to a Miami-area police officer who is not connected to the case. The weapon, however, appears to be a small semiautomatic pistol, the officer said.

A side-by-side comparison of a grainy security camera image showing a person with a holstered weapon and a retail package for a Strategy brand hip holster

A surveillance image (left) shows a person of interest in the Nancy Guthrie investigation with what appears to be a holstered firearm, alongside a photo of a Strategy Large Frame Revolver Hip Holster (right) similar to the one identified by investigators. (FBI Arizona, Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)

Walmart has extensive surveillance systems at its stores and may be able to help investigators track when the items were purchased and by whom.

The suspect appeared to block the camera with a handful of plant matter before the video ended. The camera itself was not present at the scene when police arrived.

The FBI’s ability to recover footage was a groundbreaking investigatory move. Guthrie had several other cameras at her home, and it remains unclear whether investigators can obtain more video that could help crack the case.

A split photo of the suspect seen in surveillance video and the backpack investigators are searching for

Federal authorities comb store records and video in the Nancy Guthrie case, with former FBI agent Jason Pack explaining how retail forensics builds cases. (FBI, Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

2. The DNA

Investigators have recovered a DNA sample from an unknown individual from inside the Guthrie home. It came from someone other than Guthrie or any of her close contacts, like relatives and hired help, according to authorities.

They were checking it against a glove recovered from inside a two-mile search radius around the house, which the FBI said “appears to match the gloves of the subject in the surveillance video” and contained DNA consistent with an “unknown male profile” that was expected to be checked against the federal database sometime Monday.

Investigators found 16 gloves in all, according to the FBI, but just one was an apparent match to those seen in the video.

Exterior of Nancy Guthrie's house in Tucson, Arizona, showing several red droplets.

An exterior view of the front entrance of Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Arizona, on Tuesday, February 3, 2026. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

3. The blood

A trail of blood drops on Guthrie’s front steps is a genetic match to the missing woman, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

Investigators have not confirmed whether it was there before she was taken, and Sheriff Nanos has declined to discuss specific evidence from inside the home.

Nancy Guthrie billboard in in Albuquerque, New Mexico

An FBI billboard in Albuquerque, N.M., has raised raising awareness about the search for missing Nancy Guthrie.  (KRQE)

4. The pacemaker

The pacemaker helped determine a potential timeline for Guthrie’s abduction, when it lost connection to her smartphone, as well as providing a potential trail.

Authorities deployed a high-tech Bluetooth scanning device by air in search of the signal from Guthrie’s pacemaker.

The search was unsuccessful.

FBI agents canvassing a residential neighborhood near Nancy Guthrie's home

FBI agents canvass homes near Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)

5. Cameras and digital forensics

Roadside surveillance and security cameras as well as cell tower data and similar digital forensics are expected to provide key leads in investigations like this, experts tell Fox News Digital.

Behind the scenes, this type of information may have played a role in how investigators approach potential persons of interest, including the brief questioning of a Rio Rico man earlier in the investigation.

Investigators have received thousands of tips in the case, and they have asked for those living within a two-mile radius of Guthrie’s home to submit home security video showing anything suspicious or unusual between Jan. 1 and Feb. 2.

Undisclosed information from an informant led to police and FBI activity Friday night that included the search of a home and a vehicle around the corner, as well as the temporary detainment of three people — none of whom were charged with a crime or called suspects in connection with the warrant.

The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for information that cracks the case. Dial 1-800-CALL-FBI.

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