Authorities in Arizona say DNA recovered from the home of missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie could identify a suspect in what investigators believe was a targeted kidnapping.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said forensic specialists are now focusing on genetic material found on Guthrie's Tucson property, after gloves discovered nearby failed to match any records in a national law enforcement database.
'We believe we may have some DNA there that may be our suspect, but we won't know that until that DNA is separated, sorted out,' Nanos toldNBC's Todayprogramme on Wednesday 18 February, describing it as 'more critical than any glove I found two miles away.'
Sheriff's detectives are preparing to use investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) to analyse the sample, according to US media reports. The technique, which combines DNA profiling with public genealogy databases, has been used in a series of high-profile investigations over the past few years.
Unlike traditional checks against CODIS, the FBI's national DNA index, IGG can involve uploading crime scene DNA to consumer and open-source genealogy platforms. If the unknown profile shares DNA segments with users who have voluntarily submitted their genetic information, specialists can build extended family trees to narrow down possible suspects.
Police investigators used a similar approach in the case of Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of murdering four University of Idaho students in 2022, after trace DNA on a knife sheath was linked through genealogical searching.
Authorities in the Nancy Guthrie case are turning to a similar technology once used to track down convicted killer Bryan Kohberger.#OxygenTrueCrimeNewsVisit the link for more:https://t.co/wHNffJFDHMpic.twitter.com/pS3rVpiRyj
Nanos did not name any specific databases that would be used in the Guthrie case, and there has been no confirmation that a partial or familial match has been identified. He said laboratory work to isolate and verify the DNA profile is still underway.
Guthrie, the mother ofTodayco-anchor Savannah Guthrie, has been missing since Sunday, 1 February, from her home in the Catalina Foothills area, an affluent community north of central Tucson. Pima County Sheriff's Department officials have described the case as a 'targeted kidnapping.'
In an interview withFox Newson Tuesday 17 February, Nanos rejected speculation that Guthrie's disappearance might have resulted from a burglary gone wrong.
Source: International Business Times UK
