The FBI has announced that investigators may have achieved a significant forensic development in the abduction of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, after a black glove recovered near her home appears consistent with gloves worn by the masked suspect captured on surveillance footage the night she disappeared.
Federal authorities found the glove in a brush area approximately two miles from Guthrie’s residence in the Catalina Foothills on February 11. The discovery came one day after the FBI released an image of a masked man approaching Guthrie’s home on January 31 and followed multiple days of searches in nearby desert and brush areas.
In a statement Sunday, an FBI spokesperson said the glove containing a DNA profile “appears to match the gloves of the subject in the surveillance video.” The spokesperson added that the glove recovered with the DNA profile is different from others found in the area and visually consistent with those worn by the suspect.
Investigators collected roughly 16 gloves during the search effort. Most were discarded by search teams and determined to be unrelated to the case. The glove containing the DNA evidence was separated for further testing.
Authorities sent the glove to a private laboratory in Florida for forensic analysis. Samples reportedly arrived Friday, and preliminary DNA results were received Saturday. According to reporting from the New York Post, the testing identified an unknown male DNA profile.
The FBI said it is awaiting final quality control and official confirmation of the results, a process that typically takes about 24 hours.
Once confirmed, the DNA profile is expected to be entered into CODIS, the Combined DNA Index System, the national FBI database used to compare DNA samples against known offenders and other profiles. If a match is identified, it could provide a direct investigative lead.
The forensic development comes as the search for Guthrie enters its third week. She was last seen the night of January 31 and is believed to have been abducted from her home shortly thereafter.
Authorities have said there were signs of forced entry at the residence and blood splatter on the front porch that was confirmed to belong to Guthrie. Her pacemaker reportedly lost signal contact shortly after 2 a.m. on February 1.
Although the suspect disabled the home’s doorbell camera, investigators were able to recover residual data. On February 11, the FBI released an image showing a masked man approaching the home armed with a handgun and carrying what officials identified as a 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker backpack. The footage shows the individual covering the camera with a clump of brush.
The FBI has described the suspect as a male approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall. The reward for information leading to Guthrie’s return or the arrest of a suspect has been increased to $100,000.
Investigators have conducted two search operations during the course of the investigation. The most recent raid, carried out Friday in the Catalina Foothills area, produced leads that officials described as being of interest but did not result in arrests.
As part of ongoing search efforts, authorities have also deployed specialized technology to detect potential signals from Guthrie’s pacemaker. NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin reported Sunday that a device known as a “signal sniffer” was attached to a sheriff’s helicopter to attempt to locate any trace of the pacemaker’s signal.
According to Entin’s report, the device can detect the pacemaker’s transmission, but the helicopter must fly low and move slowly for the equipment to function effectively.
Federal and local authorities have not confirmed whether the pacemaker signal has been detected. The investigation remains active, and officials continue to urge anyone with information to come forward as forensic testing proceeds.