Nancy Guthrie Investigators Turn To Mexico, Genealogy, Pacemaker Amid Fears Trail Going Cold

As nan hunt for Nancy Guthrie stretches into its 3rd week, location is increasing interest that nan way to find nan missing 84-year-old is quickly increasing cold.

Investigators person detained 2 group since Guthrie was abducted from her Tucson location successful nan early hours of Feb. 1. But some were released aft questioning and nary suspects person been publically identified.

Authorities insist nan lawsuit is still very overmuch active, pinch nan FBI receiving much than 19,000 tips. But nan lawsuit is branching disconnected into immoderate caller directions.

Look astatine Mexico

Law enforcement sources told The Times that investigators person been successful touch pinch Mexican authorities successful nan lawsuit fixed Tucson’s adjacent proximity to nan border, but location is nary grounds that nan abductors crossed pinch Guthrie.

The sources said connected information of anonymity to talk nan lawsuit candidly.

The Guthrie location successful Tucson is only astir an hour’s thrust from nan border. Source stressed nan petition for thief from Mexico was to exhaust each options but location is not immoderate clear grounds suggesting either Guthrie aliases nan kidnappers are there.

State of nan investigation

DNA connected a mitt discovered 2 miles distant from Guthrie’s location that matched those worn by a masked man seen connected Nest camera footage didn’t return immoderate matches successful nan nationalist DNA database utilized by rule enforcement, CODIS. Biological grounds that was recovered astatine Guthrie’s location is still being tested, but did not nutrient a lucifer successful CODIS, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told Fox News this week.

An anonymous philanthropist this week talented $100,000 to 88-CRIME for accusation that would lead investigators to apprehension nan individual progressive successful Guthrie’s disappearance. This is successful summation to nan $100,000 reward for accusation being offered by nan FBI.

Nanos has tried to dispel concerns that investigators are hitting thing but dormant ends, telling NBC News that “as agelong arsenic we person nan expertise to pursuit a lead, it’s not cold.”

“We person thousands of leads we’re looking at,” he said. “We’re going to find Nancy, and we’re going to find who did this.”

So far, experts opportunity investigators’ champion stake to solving nan lawsuit quickly would beryllium if personification recognizes nan fishy successful Nest video footage of a masked man seen connected Guthrie’s structure nan greeting she was abducted.

At 1:47 a.m. Feb. 1, nan individual appears astatine nan doorway of Guthrie’s home. The man is wearing a balaclava, gloves and a backpack. A weapon is holstered by nan man’s waist, positioned astatine nan beforehand of his assemblage and easy visible.

At 1 point, nan man, who authorities picture arsenic astir betwixt 5’9” and 5’10” pinch an mean build, notices nan camera connected nan beforehand structure and tries to screen nan lens pinch his hand. The man scouts astir nan patio and gait area apparently for thing to obstruct nan camera earlier settling connected immoderate greenery recovered successful nan yard.

In nan video, nan man is wearing a black, 25-liter ‘Ozark Trail Hiker Pack’ backpack that tin beryllium purchased astatine Walmart, according to nan FBI. Investigators person been moving pinch Walmart activity to spot if they tin place who purchased nan backpack.

Authorities are besides canvassing weapon shops showing nan video released by nan FBI to spot if anyone recognizes him, according to nan sheriff’s department.

Investigators employment familial genealogy

DNA recovered wrong nan Guthrie location could besides beryllium fruitful successful nan case, experts say.

While rule enforcement did not get immoderate hits successful nan national database, they are besides employing familial genealogy successful an effort to place a fishy successful nan case.

“If they really person nan suspect’s DNA—Nancy’s kidnapper’s DNA—he will beryllium identified done familial genealogy,” said CeCe Moore, a familial genealogist and co-founder of DNA Justice. “It’s conscionable a matter of time.”

Authorities tin comparison DNA collected from Guthrie’s location to publically accessible databases containing nan familial profiles of millions of group who person fixed them complete for family history investigation and different reasons. From there, investigators tin sometimes find distant relatives to thief portion together a family character that tin constituent to a suspect.

The exertion has helped lick immoderate of nan nation’s astir high-profile cases successful caller years. Investigators utilized familial genealogy to place Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. arsenic nan Golden State Killer who terrorized California successful nan 1970s and 80s. It was besides utilized to unafraid nan condemnation of Bryan Kohberger, who was sentenced to life successful situation for murdering 4 assemblage students successful Idaho successful 2022.

There’s limitation to nan technology, but rule enforcement sources told The Times it’s apt nan champion measurement forward.

Law enforcement does not person easy entree to nan astir 50 cardinal familial profiles contained successful Ancestry.com, 23andMe and MyHeritage databases. The companies person barred authorities from accessing specified accusation and said they would merchandise it only if compelled by a tribunal bid aliases warrant.

Databases GEDmatch, FamilyTreeDNA and DNA Justice are unfastened to rule enforcement use, but incorporate little than 2 cardinal familial profiles, Moore said.

With less familial profiles to activity pinch location is much legwork involved, but Moore said it will apt beryllium cardinal to identifying a suspect.

“It could hap successful minutes, hours, days, weeks, but I don’t deliberation it’ll agelong overmuch longer than that because of each nan resources disposable for this case,” she said.

Searching for her pacemaker

Law enforcement has besides deployed “signal sniffer” exertion successful nan hunt for Guthrie.

Parsons Corp confirmed this week that nan Pima County Sheriff’s Department requested its thief early this period deploying BlueFly units to hunt for Guthrie. BlueFly is simply a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi sensor that tin beryllium utilized connected aerial and crushed vehicles for hunt and rescue operations successful challenging environments, providing authorities pinch a power representation to place signals wrong a circumstantial area, according to nan company.

BlueFly tin observe aesculapian devices for illustration Guthrie’s pacemaker.