A pair of blood-stained gloves were found in the desert near Nancy Guthrie’s home, a couple have claimed, as the search for the 84-year-old enters its third week with no named suspects.
Nancy Guthrie, the elderly mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was last seen at her home in the affluent Catalina Foothills, outside Tucson, Arizona, on January 31.
She was abducted from her home in the early hours of February 1. Police later shared doorbell cam footage of a suspect wearing a ski mask and dark gloves.
On Friday a couple revealed to local outlet KVOA that they came across a pair of black gloves in the desert, less than a mile from Guthrie’s neighborhood, on February 11.
“Sure enough it was a black glove in the desert it appeared to have looked like it was ripped,” the woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said. “It also appeared to like it looked like it had blood on it. The blood appeared to be towards the wrist side of the glove and on the pointer finger,” she continued.
The couple found a second glove, that appeared to match, less than 10 feet away.
“And also from the glove it looked like a blood drop on a rock underneath the glove was like dried blood or something,” the husband added. “We didn’t move it or touch it. We immediately were like we have to do something.”
The couple said they called police who questioned them at the scene for some time, according to the outlet.
In a statement to The Independent, Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Saturday they “cannot confirm” whether the gloves found by the couple were being tested for DNA.
“Detectives and agents have collected multiple gloves from the area and analysis is part of the investigation,” the department said.
Earlier this week, the department announced on social media that DNA on a pair of gloves found two miles from Guthrie’s home “did not trigger a match” in the FBI’s national database and “did not match DNA found at the property.”
It was not immediately clear whether the update is related to the gloves found in the desert by the couple.
As the case enters the third week, sources told ABC News that investigators may soon scale back resources given the lack of progress. There are 400 investigators working on the case 24/7 at the moment, but sources told the outlet that a smaller task force could move in as leads are “so far coming up empty.”
The sheriff’s department says the investigation remains active. “As long as leads continue to come in, investigators will continue to follow up on them,” the department said in a statement. “Currently, several hundred personnel are assigned to this case from various law enforcement agencies and are actively reviewing thousands of tips.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who has come under intense scrutiny over the case, vowed his team would find Nancy Guthrie in an interview Friday.
“We’re not quitting,” he told NBC News. “We’ll find her.”
Between the FBI and local officials, the reward for information in the case has grown to more than $200,000.
Savannah Guthrie has posted videos online pleading with the kidnapper to return her mother. “I wanted to say to whoever has her, or knows where she is, that it’s never too late,” Guthrie said in an Instagram video last weekend. “It is never too late to do the right thing.”
The TV star said that her mother needs medication for her health condition.
“Her health, her heart is fragile. She lives in constant pain. She is without any medicine. She needs it to survive. She needs it not to suffer,” the news anchor pleaded in a video posted on social media.
