Nancy Guthrie: DNA Setback – A Glove Lead Fizzles Out

84-year-old Nancy Guthrie disappeared in the early hours of February 1, and detectives chased plenty of leads: including DNA. Well, one of these leads unfortunately came to nothing of interest. The news arrived as task force changes were also explained. Read on for more details.

Gloves & DNA

On Brian Entin Investigates on YouTube, Wednesday night, investigative journalist Brian Entin shared exclusive updates regarding DNA evidence. Sadly, it’s not at this stage, a big blockbuster result in breaking the case. As a side note, the epidose also covered the United Cajun Navy search offer. 

Before proceeding, it’s worth noting that so far, approximately 16 different gloves were collected from the desert and surrounding roadsides. Many of them were “searchers’ gloves.” Well, the “roadside glove” Entin discussed, stood out because it was found in a field near a highway: a potential escape route for a kidnapper.

Interestingly, forensics experts also looked at a separate discovery. That involved a glove found inside Nancy’s home. Unlike the roadside find, that “indoor” glove may hold the “low-level” DNA mixture that investigators currently work on in a lab.

The Glove In Question

Attention mostly centered on a black glove found just “2.5 miles” from Nancy’s Tucson home. Initially, reports suggested it matched the one worn by the suspect seen in surveillance footage at Nancy’s front door. However, the DNA results arrived, and they offer no connection to the case.

According to Sheriff Nanos, the DNA actually belongs to a “local restaurant worker.” Notably, he’d been checked out and cleared. Actually, Entin noted he always felt a bit doubtful, pointing out that these types of black latex or work gloves seem incredibly common. In fact, it’s not unusual to see them lying on the side of the road.

@true.crime.examined

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said there’s a DNA match from one of the gloves found near Nancy Guthrie’s home – but there’s a catch. #TrueCrimeExamined #TrueCrime #NancyGuthrie #PimaCounty #ChrisNanos

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Challenges with Mixed Evidence

The setback highlights a growing frustration by true crime followers with the forensic side of the investigation. The sheriff’s office revealed that other DNA collected from the scene is “mixed.” Obviously, that makes it technically difficult for testing or checking out in the CODIS national database.

There’s still hope, however, that investigators might use “genetic genealogy.” Recently, Ashleigh Banfield mentioned that was the tech used in the case of “Bryan Kohberger.”

Comparing the samples against public databases in search of distant relatives, they may eventually zero in on a suspect. 

A Focused Task Force

As the DNA leads stall, the boots-on-the-ground strategy changes. Sergeant Aaron Cross, head of the deputies union, confirmed that a focused “four-man group with a sergeant” moved into the FBI building in Tucson. There, they work with federal agents as a “task force.”

While some folks fear this “shuffling” means fewer resources, others see it as a necessary part of the “grind portion of the case.” With the FBI currently combing through “thousands of hours of video,” the hope is that a technical breakthrough succeeds where physical evidence so far came to nothing.

What are your thoughts? Are you frustrated that the DNA on the glove wasn’t related to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie? Let us know in the comments below, and come back here often for all your true crime news and updates. Oh, and go give our TikTok crime channel a follow.