Federal investigators have shown lists of names and images to local businesses as part of the continued search for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old Arizona woman who vanished in early February, law enforcement sources say.
CBS News reported late Wednesday that the FBI “has photos and names of people they believe may be the suspect seen on the surveillance video outside Nancy Guthrie’s front door with what appears to be a gun in a holster.”
An FBI agent recently visited an Arizona gun store with a list of roughly two dozen names and corresponding photos, asking the owner to check whether any of the individuals had purchased a firearm there in the past year, according to Phillip Martin, co-owner of Armor Bearer Arms. The proprietor said none of those named returned a match in his store’s records.
“Based on that video I saw of the kidnapper at the house who was caught on camera—the facial hair that I saw on the video reminds me a lot of these photographs,” he said.
Investigators have not publicly named any suspects or individuals of interest in the case, and officials caution that the probe remains broad and ongoing.
The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department have released surveillance images and an updated physical description of a masked individual seen at Guthrie’s home shortly before her disappearance, in hopes of generating leads from the public. The FBI has also increased its reward for information leading to Guthrie’s whereabouts or an arrest.
DNA evidence recovered from a glove found near the scene is being analyzed, and investigators are exploring additional forensic avenues. Authorities have also ruled out family members as suspects and continue to field tips from the public.
The sheriff’s department announced Tuesday that DNA recovered from the glove did not produce a match in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s national DNA database.
Sheriff Chris Nanos said the unknown male DNA profile was entered into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) for comparison with records of convicted offenders, but it did not return any hits. Additional DNA evidence recovered at Guthrie’s residence is also being analyzed.
“The DNA that was submitted to CODIS was from the set of gloves found 2 miles away. It did not trigger a match in CODIS & did not match the DNA found at the property,” the Pima County Sheriff said on Tuesday.
“The DNA found at the property is being analyzed & further testing needs to be done as part of the investigation,” the Sheriff added.
The glove was discovered roughly two miles from Guthrie’s Catalina Foothills home and is believed to be similar to gloves worn by a masked individual seen on surveillance footage the night she was last seen. Investigators have been collecting and testing multiple pieces of evidence as part of a multi-agency criminal investigation.
Guthrie, the mother of NBC “Today” show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was last seen at her home on Feb. 1. Law enforcement officials have treated the case as an apparent kidnapping and are urging anyone with information to contact the FBI or local police.
Nanos has also insisted that his team had not winnowed the search down to a specific group of people.
“We haven’t narrowed it down to anything other than we have pieces of evidence that we’re looking at to try to find this individual,” he said.
Meanwhile, investigators probing the abduction say clothing and gear worn by the masked suspect in the now-infamous doorbell footage were likely purchased at Walmart — a development authorities describe as one of the most significant leads in the case so far.
Nanos told CBS News that detectives believe the clothing and face mask seen in the surveillance video were sold by the retail giant. The suspect’s black Ozark Trail Hiker backpack — clearly visible in the footage — is sold exclusively at Walmart.