FBI analyzing ‘potentially critical’ DNA recovered from Nancy Guthrie’s Arizona home: report
April 16, 2026
The FBI is examining DNA evidence collected from Nancy Guthrie's Tucson, Arizona home as the bureau desperately searches for a new lead into the 84-year-old's disappearance, ABC News reports.
Federal investigators are now analyzing DNA evidence that could prove critical in the more than two-month-long investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of "Today" show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. The FBI's laboratory has received forensic material, including hair, that was recovered from inside Guthrie's Tucson-area home following her abduction on February 1, 2026. This development brings renewed hope for a breakthrough in a case that has been marked by few definitive leads and mounting public scrutiny.
The evidence is now undergoing advanced analysis by the FBI, a move that investigators hope will yield a clean genetic profile of a suspect. Previously, the samples were handled by a private lab in Florida, which was contracted by the Pima County Sheriff's Department. Those initial tests resulted in what officials termed "mixed" DNA profiles, meaning the samples were contaminated or contained genetic material from multiple individuals, making it impossible to produce a match in the national criminal database. An FBI official noted that the bureau had requested the evidence more than two months before the private lab transferred the hair sample for federal testing.
The investigation began after Guthrie was reported missing from her Catalina Foothills residence. She was last seen on the evening of January 31 when her son-in-law dropped her off at her house. When she failed to join a friend for a church service livestream the next morning, family members discovered she was gone and alerted authorities. Responding Pima County sheriff's deputies found signs of a struggle, including bloodstains later confirmed to be Guthrie's, leading them to conclude she had been taken against her will.
In the weeks that followed, the high-profile case has seen a series of frustrating turns. Authorities have dealt with ransom notes demanding cryptocurrency that did not provide proof of life, and two payment deadlines passed without incident. The FBI released a short video from a doorbell camera showing a masked individual tampering with the device on Guthrie's property before her disappearance. Despite the video and a combined reward of over $1 million offered by the family and the FBI, no suspect has been publicly identified. The Pima County Sheriff's Department also faced criticism for its initial handling of the crime scene.
With the DNA evidence now in the hands of the FBI's more sophisticated labs, all stakeholders are awaiting the results. The complex process of separating the mixed genetic material could take a significant amount of time, with some estimates suggesting it could be months before a clear profile can be isolated. For the Guthrie family, who have made public appeals for Nancy's safe return, and for a concerned public, the outcome of this forensic analysis represents the most promising chance to identify the person responsible for the abduction and to learn of Nancy Guthrie's fate.
Source: nypost