In thesearch for missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthriein Tucson, Arizona, a veteran homicide detective working withformer FBI agentshas pointed to a man seen on surveillance footage near her home, saying the individual appears to be an 'experienced' shooter who carries a holstered firearm.
The latest focus in the Nancy Guthrie case comes from retired homicide detective Dale Lundberg, who is collaborating with other investigators, including former FBI personnel, to scrutinise surveillance material and follow emerging leads.
Speaking on the podcastBreak the Case with Jen Coffindaffer, Lundberg described one man seen on camera as someone who appears comfortable and practised around firearms.
'I would not say that it's necessarily military or police, but somebody who is experienced enough with firearms where he's more comfortable carrying it in a holster than just shoving it into his waistband, like most thugs,' Lundberg said.
He went further, arguing that in his decades on the job, the use of a holster has been a telling detail rather than a trivial one. 'I have arrested and participated or assisted in the arresting of literally thousands of people in all kinds of circumstances, and it's maybe only in one or two circumstances that I've ever come across somebody who actually had a holster for their pistol, because usually it's just tucked into their pants,' he said.
The detective added that, in his experience, 'officers and civilians who shoot a lot are really the only people who use holsters regularly'.
The investigation around the Nancy Guthrie case has already produced several strands of inquiry that have either narrowed the field or led to frustrating dead ends.
Detectives are examining damage to a utility box near Guthrie's home, looking at whether it could be connected to an internet outage reported around the time she disappeared. Some officials initially appeared to play down the significance of that detail, but it remains under active review.
DNA on a pair of black gloves found about two miles from Guthrie's house briefly raised hopes of a breakthrough. That line of inquiry cooled sharply when the DNA was traced to a local restaurant worker who, according to the information released so far, is not believed to be connected to the case.
In a separate development, a body discovered in a Phoenix canal prompted speculation that the search might have ended in the worst possible way. Authorities later confirmed that the remains were not Guthrie's, and identified the deceased as another woman.
Source: International Business Times UK
