DNA from a glove found near the home of Nancy Guthrie did not match any profiles in the FBI’s national DNA database, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday.
Sheriff Chris Nanos shared the new information as the desperate search for the 84-year-old mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie entered its third week.
“The DNA that was submitted to CODIS was from the set of gloves found two miles away,” Nanos said in a statement. “It did not trigger a match in CODIS & did not match DNA found at the property. The DNA found at the property is being analyzed & further testing needs to be done as part of the investigation.”
The glove was one of several found near Guthrie’s home, most of which belonged to searchers who discarded them while working in the area, the FBI said in a previous statement.
The glove was tested in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) after investigators said it appeared similar to those worn by a masked man seen in doorbell camera footage outside Guthrie’s home around the hours she disappeared between January 31 and February 1.
Sheriff Nanos said they are continuing to pursue numerous other leads in the investigation into Guthrie’s abduction.
He added they are working to analyze DNA found at the Guthrie home to determine if it belongs to the suspect or matches DNA found on the glove.
The person in a mask and gloves carrying a backpack who was seen on doorbell camera footage at the Guthrie home before her disappearance has still not been identified.
On Monday, Nanos said that all members of Guthrie's family, including Savannah Guthrie, her siblings, and their spouses, have been cleared as possible suspects, adding that they had been “nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case.”
”To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel,” he said. “The Guthrie family are victims plain and simple.”
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was reported missing from her home in Arizona on February 1.
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have been making emotional pleas on social media, asking the supposed kidnapper to reach out and provide proof of life and further instructions for how they can get their mother back.
Earlier on Monday, TMZ founder Harvey Levin announced that his publication had received a fourth letter from an individual claiming to have knowledge of who kidnapped Guthrie. The individual is reportedly refusing to reveal the information until payment is made.
Levin, who said he had been in contact with the FBI, posted a video telling the tipster to provide the information to him, and that he would work with the FBI to secure payment. The TMZ founder believes that the individual who sent Monday's letter is the same one who has sent three previous letters demanding payment for information about Guthrie's whereabouts.
"A fourth letter from the same person who says he knows where Nancy Guthrie is, and he wants money in return for the information,” Levin said. “Essentially, he wants the reward."
The sheriff's office is also reportedly working with Walmart after it discovered the brand of backpack the suspected kidnapper wore on the night Nancy Guthrie disappeared was sold exclusively at the retailer.
The backpack is a 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack." The "Ozark Trail" brand is a private, Walmart-owned outdoor brand that is only sold in its stores and on its website. However, it is possible the individual bought the pack from a private seller or from a second-hand sports retailer.
“This backpack is exclusive to Walmart and we are working with Walmart management to develop further leads,” Nanos said.
The clothing the suspect was wearing the night of the alleged abduction may also have been purchased at Walmart, but investigators noted that the clothing isn't exclusively offered by Walmart.
“This remains a possibility only," the sheriff's office said in a statement on Monday.
The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to a resolution of the case.
