Arizona Couple Finds Blood Stained Gloves Near Nancy Guthrie’s Home
Authorities in Arizona are continuing their investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, 84, after new potential evidence was discovered in the desert roughly a mile from her Tucson home.
According to reporting from The New York Post, an Arizona couple who asked to remain anonymous told KVOA they found a pair of black gloves about 10 feet apart off Campbell Avenue in the Catalina Foothills area on Feb. 11 — days after Guthrie was reported missing.
The couple said one of the gloves appeared torn and had what looked like dried blood near the wrist and index finger. They also observed what appeared to be a dried droplet of blood on a nearby rock beneath one of the gloves. Fearing contamination of possible evidence, they did not touch the items and instead photographed the scene before contacting law enforcement. Investigators reportedly remained at the location until approximately 2 a.m.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department declined to confirm whether the gloves found by the couple were among those submitted for forensic testing.
“We cannot confirm at this time. Detectives and agents have collected multiple gloves from the area, and analysis is part of the investigation,” the department said in a statement.
Officials have previously acknowledged that DNA recovered from gloves found in the area did not match any profiles in the FBI’s criminal database and did not match DNA collected inside Guthrie’s residence.
Investigators have also stated that the gloves appear similar to those worn by a masked individual captured on a porch camera outside Guthrie’s home the morning she disappeared on Jan. 31. Authorities have not publicly identified any suspects or persons of interest.
The case has drawn national attention in part because Nancy Guthrie is the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie. The Washington Times reported that Nancy Guthrie has been missing since Feb. 1, when she disappeared from her Tucson home.
An anonymous donor increased the reward for information leading to her whereabouts or return to $200,000 this week. According to multiple reports, the FBI said a glove found approximately two miles from the residence appeared consistent with those worn by the masked individual seen on surveillance footage.
Investigators have conducted advanced forensic analysis, including genetic genealogy testing, in an effort to identify a suspect. However, officials said the DNA recovered from the glove did not produce a match in federal criminal databases.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has indicated it may explore additional genealogy databases to aid the investigation. Law enforcement agencies have successfully used such methods in other high-profile cases, including decades-old homicides in California and the killings of four college students in Idaho, according to The Associated Press.
Authorities have confirmed that the only biological evidence definitively tied to Nancy Guthrie at the scene was blood found on the front steps of her home. Investigators have also cleared members of the Guthrie family as potential suspects.
Former Pima County Sheriff Richard Carmona criticized the department’s handling of the case.
“We are just disappointed at the level or lack of leadership at the senior position and some of the remarks that are quite embarrassing,” Carmona said in a statement to Fox News.
Current Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has denied any discord between his department and federal authorities. Nanos told Fox 10 that the sheriff’s office and the FBI have a “great working relationship.”
In recent remarks to CBS News partner BBC News, Nanos said investigators have not ruled out the possibility that an accomplice may have assisted the individual seen on doorbell camera footage outside Guthrie’s home the night she vanished. Authorities believe Guthrie may have been forcibly taken during the overnight hours before she was reported missing on Feb. 1.
The investigation remains ongoing as officials continue to pursue leads and analyze forensic evidence in what they believe may have been a targeted abduction.