Nancy Guthrie investigators turn to genetic genealogy for glove DNA sample

It is now 17 days since 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of NBC news broadcaster Savannah Guthrie, was taken from her Arizona home by an unknown man. Several days after Mrs. Guthrie was taken, investigators were able to recover footage from a home security camera showing the masked man carrying a holstered weapon and wearing a pair of dark-colored gloves. The gloves in the video were similar to a glove found a few miles from Mrs. Guthrie’s home. Investigators sent the glove off for DNA testing. A male profile was detected, but no DNA matches were found in the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

Police say they have not yet identified the suspect but have cleared members of the Guthrie family of any involvement. Investigators still hope to get more information from the glove by turning to genetic genealogy. Genetic genealogy, or forensic genealogy, compares suspect DNA profiles with the profiles of donors in private sector genealogical databases. This technique has solved numerous cold cases in the US in recent years. The most famous case is that of James Joseph DeAngelo, also known as the Golden State killer. He was identified in 2018 as the culprit in multiple murders, rapes, and break-ins between 1974 and 1986 through forensic genealogy.

Forensic genealogy involves painstaking work that includes comparative analysis, exhaustive research, and often requires further genealogical testing from close relatives to zero in on a suspect. Meanwhile, investigators continue following leads and tips in hopes of recovering Mrs. Guthrie safely. They are also now deploying a “signal sniffer” drone in hopes of locating Mrs. Guthrie by the signal from her pacemaker.