Would one phrase, such as one word, burglary gone wrong, put an investigation on a bad path? The Pima County sheriff leading the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of co-host of the “Today” show, Savannah Guthrie, has made some of the strongest objections against that framing. According to Sheriff Chris Nanos, the concept had not been developed by his department and emphasized that investigators were tracking clues and not creating a theory on motive in front of a crowd.“It did not come from us,” Nanos said, adding, “We will let the evidence take us to motive.”
Whether the motive was premeditated or not has become loud now with the case going into a third week without an arrest. One of the sources used in the investigation denied that burglary was the primary lens that the unit should use and referred to it as “not the working theory,” citing the unusual nature of night burglaries in homes. The same source reported noticing that there was no sign that Guthrie had expensive material in the house and that burglars normally do not leave behind a victim. One fact has made the stakes unusually high: the authorities have already noted several times that she is in danger of medication and in poor health.
The investigation has only intensified this activity, in the background, and now DNA is the focus of the action. Law enforcement officials have indicated that a glove that was found by a man some two miles away near the home of Guthrie is visually compatible with those that masked assailant was wearing on the security footage of his appearance in front of her front door. According to investigators, the DNA retrieved on a glove failed to match CODIS, the FBI national database of DNA, as well as not match the DNA located on the property of Guthrie. Sheriff Nanos expressed that investigators are now examining partial DNA on the home and considering investigational genetic genealogy options-a technique, which could utilize the public DNA databases to recognize kinfolk of an unknown individual and develop lineages towards a potential identification.
That change is important since absence of CODIS hits does not close a case, it just indicates that the DNA profile is not linked to any known offender and forensic profiles in that system at the moment. Genetic genealogy on the other hand may occasionally relate an unknown profile with remote relatives who have posted DNA at publicly available sites accessible to police. DNA expert CeCe Moore told the “TODAY” podcast, in an interview, that, “If I was the kidnapper, I would be extremely concerned right now, because using investigative genetic genealogy, he will be identified,” while also noting timelines vary depending on whether someone has extensive family roots represented in available databases.
Small identifiable objects that are seen on video are also being relied on by investigators. FBI has described a masked armed man who was outside Guthrie home as being between “5’9 to 5’10” and of average body build, the authorities have emphasized what he was carrying. Sheriff Nanos said that identification of the backpack would make a viable break, and investigators would seek to find out how many of them were sold and whether there is a record of transactions or store video that could link a buyer.
Speculation has been spawned by widespread attention but investigators have insisted that they are following leads and not storylines. In mid-February, no suspect or person of interest was publicly declared, although the investigation is ongoing, as agencies. Nanos has also cautioned against judging the person in in the camera based on assumptions and about the ease with which it may turn into a distraction.
In a case with so few verified solutions, the trend is even more evident: A systematic effort towards converting physical evidence physical video, objects, partial DNA) into a name.
