The unidentified DNA found on a key glove found near the Arizona home of Nancy Guthrie — along with other genetic material collected inside the house — does not match any profiles in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said Tuesday that the glove offered no new leads.
The glove was found on Sunday and was briefly seen as the most promising lead in the search for the missing 84-year-old mother of Today show’s co-host, Savannah Guthrie. The black nitrile glove appeared to resemble one worn by a masked figure caught on Nancy’s doorbell camera shortly before she vanished on Feb. 1.
No Matches Found
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In a post on X discussing the latest forensic results, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said investigators also collected “additional DNA evidence” from Nancy’s home that has yet to be tested.
The disappointing development comes as the search for Nancy stretches into its third week, with no arrests made and no suspects publicly identified.
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She was last seen on the night of January 31 entering her home in the Catalina Foothills area of Tucson. Hours later, her pacemaker lost its connection with her Apple Watch while still at the house.
As the case drags on, pressure has mounted on Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who has faced growing scrutiny and criticism over how the investigation was handled, including claims that key mistakes were made in the crucial early hours of the search.
Although the glove initially gave investigators a sense of optimism, Today warned viewers not to expect a breakthrough even before DNA testing came back without a match.
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DNA specialist CeCe Moore said at the show that the glove was unlikely to lead directly to a suspect, urging viewers not to get their hopes up for an “aha moment.”
‘In my opinion, it’s not. It’s really too far from the crime scene,” Moore answered.
“My biggest question is, have they found DNA from an unknown male inside that house?”
No Breakthrough Yet
Authorities said they also found 16 gloves scattered around the property, though most were later determined to belong to investigators searching the scene. The inability to link the glove to a suspect comes exactly a week after delivery driver Carlos Palazuelos was briefly arrested in connection with the case, only to be released hours later.
His short-lived detention last Tuesday proved embarrassing for investigators, as he angrily denied any involvement in Nancy’s disappearance.
On Friday, Pima County SWAT officers raided a home about two miles from Nancy’s residence, but no one was taken into custody.
Around the same time, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation stopped a Range Rover Sport and questioned the driver, who was also released without being charged.
The FBI said that it has received more than 13,000 tips so far, while the Pima County Sheriff’s Department reported handling at least 18,000 calls tied to the case. Those calls have led investigators to generate an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 potential leads.
Authorities have also publicly ruled out Nancy Guthrie’s family members as suspects, stressing that they are being treated as victims in the investigation.
