As the investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, some three weeks ag,o from her Tucson home continues, law enforcement officers are now looking into new avenues as they attempt to locate the kidnapper.
Last seen on January 31, Nancy was reported missing on February 1 by her family. With her family experiencing understandable emotional turmoil, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and other law enforcement agents are now asking for assistance from the public in discovering the identity of the person who abducted her.
Investigators Asking Public to be Vigilant for People Who Have Been Lying Low
GettyAccording to TMZ, law enforcement is switching its focus onto suspects who match the figure seen on surveillance equipment at Nancy’s home who have also been absent from their daily lives since the disappearance.
Sources told the outlet that investigators want people to be aware of potential individuals who match the suspect’s description but have seemingly been missing for around three weeks.
Police are already searching for a man who is between 5’9″ and 5’10” with an average build and facial hair that could be a mustache or a goatee.
TMZ indicates that law enforcement wants to find anyone with those features who has been going under the radar recently, especially in the Tucson area.
Sheriff Warns Kidnapper They May Have Left Behind DNA Evidence
Police have ruled out members of the Guthrie family and are seemingly no closer to locating the kidnapper. A number of DNA samples found at Nancy’s home and in the surrounding area have played a pivotal role so far. However, a set of gloves found near the residence provided DNA that was analyzed but resulted in no matches being found in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).
Now Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has issued a warning to the alleged kidnapper during an interview with the Today Show about DNA that may have been left at the scene of the crime.
“We believe that we may have some DNA there that may be our suspect, but we won’t know that until that DNA is separated, sorted out, maybe admitted to CODIS, maybe through genetic genealogy,” Nanos said. “Now we start with genealogy and some of the partial DNA we have at the home. To me, that’s more critical than any glove I found two miles away.”
Nanos also referenced security footage taken from the home at the time of the kidnapping that appears to show the masked criminal wearing a distinctive ring.
“I look at the same photo you look at and I get. I see it. I see,” Nanos revealed. “People have circled and said (it’s a ring). My speculation is, I’m going to give that to my team. They’ll look at that. They’ll analyze it, and we’ll see.”
He added, “I think this was an individual who had a target for whatever reason, and he has made it tough. But I’ve got some pretty tough investigators, too.”
