Police Explore Multi-Person Theory in Nancy Guthrie Abduction Investigation
Law enforcement officials investigating the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie are now actively considering the possibility that multiple individuals participated in her abduction. This significant development emerges as the Pima County Sheriff's Department continues its efforts to identify a masked person captured on Nancy's doorbell camera nearly three weeks ago.
New Investigative Direction
'Investigators are not ruling out the possibility that more than one person may be involved,' confirmed Pima County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Angelica Carrillo in an official statement released on Friday. Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC 'Today' co-host Savannah Guthrie, was last seen on January 31 after being dropped off at her home near Tucson, Arizona.
Authorities believe the elderly woman was taken against her will during the early hours of February 1. Her disappearance was reported after she failed to arrive at a friend's home that same day. The search has now entered its twentieth consecutive day without definitive breakthroughs, despite multiple law enforcement agencies including the FBI working collaboratively on the case.
Evidence Collection and Analysis
Neighbors in the Catalina Foothills community northeast of Tucson have provided the Pima County Sheriff's Department with access to surveillance footage from the area surrounding Nancy's residence. Simultaneously, DNA analysis is underway on biological material recovered from the scene, though blood evidence has already been confirmed as belonging to Nancy herself.
Earlier this week, investigators revealed that gloves discovered two miles from the crime scene—which matched those worn by the suspect in the doorbell camera footage—did not correspond to any profiles within the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). This database contains approximately 27 million DNA profiles, with over 19 million originating from convicted offenders.
Genetic Genealogy and Pacemaker Tracking
'Investigators are currently looking into additional investigative genetic genealogy options for DNA evidence to check for matches,' the Pima County Sheriff's Department announced on Tuesday. 'CODIS is one option of many databases that are available.' While law enforcement can submit DNA profiles to publicly accessible databases, commercial services like Ancestry.com and 23andMe prohibit police from uploading data to search for matches on their platforms.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos disclosed to NBC News that the DNA currently in possession may belong to the primary suspect, described as a male standing between 5'9" and 5'10" with a distinctive gun holster and an Ozark Trail backpack from Walmart.
Investigators are also pinning hopes on Nancy's pacemaker potentially leading them to her location. The medical device, which regulates heartbeat, disconnected from her phone application at 2:28 a.m.—shortly after the suspect appeared on her doorbell camera. According to Nanos, the pacemaker retains six to seven years of battery life based on manufacturer information, and the company has been cooperating with police to detect any possible signals the device might emit.
Political Commentary and Investigative Criticism
Former President Donald Trump commented on the case multiple times, suggesting on Thursday that Nancy's kidnappers might have killed her to disable the pacemaker tracking. 'I didn't like where they were talking about going after the pacemaker,' Trump stated aboard Air Force One. 'So if, in fact, they could do it that way, the person would say, "Well, I'm not going to let that happen," right? So bad things would happen.'
Sheriff Nanos has faced substantial criticism regarding his handling of the investigation. Accusations include imprecise public communication and repeatedly removing crime scene tape around Nancy's home, potentially compromising the area when journalists were granted access.
Operational Shortcomings Revealed
The Daily Mail first reported that the sheriff's department failed to deploy its fixed-wing Cessna aircraft equipped with high-resolution thermal imaging cameras immediately after Nancy was reported missing. The aircraft remained grounded for approximately half a day due to staffing shortages that left the department without qualified pilots—a deficiency sources directly attributed to Nanos's leadership.
As the investigation continues, Nancy's home remains an active crime scene with multiple searches conducted since her disappearance. Community support remains evident with signs and flowers from neighbors still present outside the residence, while investigators pursue every possible lead in this complex and troubling case.
