The Nancy Guthrie investigation could hang on a strand of DNA

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One 100 days is an agonizingly agelong clip for a household to spell without answers astir their missing loved one. It's besides agelong capable for the investigators moving the lawsuit to consciousness the grind.

At the 100-day mark, the probe into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie could bent connected a strand of DNA that's inactive being evaluated by scientists astatine the FBI laboratory successful Quantico, Virginia, successful hopes of identifying her abductor.

Guthrie, the parent of "Today" amusement co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing Feb. 1.

The DNA recovered from Guthrie's location successful Tucson, Arizona, was archetypal sent by Pima County sheriff's detectives to a private laboratory successful Florida for analysis. Weeks later, the DNA was shipped to the FBI's state-of-the-art transgression laboratory successful Quantico, wherever instrumentality enforcement sources archer CBS News the enactment is ongoing.

Investigators person not publically confirmed details astir the illustration oregon precisely wherever it was found.

"An point containing DNA specified arsenic a strand of hairsbreadth recovered determination successful a location is 1 thing, but a strand of hairsbreadth adjacent the victim's past known location, specified arsenic successful her bed, would beryllium a precocious precedence for the FBI," said Lance Leising, a erstwhile FBI supervisory peculiar cause successful Arizona.

The painstaking process of DNA analysis, including gathering retired household trees, doing forensic comparisons and elimination enactment "takes acold longer than tv transgression dramas would person radical believe," said retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jason Pack. "That benignant of enactment is dilatory due to the fact that it has to beryllium right."

Reached by telephone connected Monday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos declined to remark connected whether the DNA was from a strand of hair, bodily fluid oregon from different source, citing the request to support the integrity of the case.

"It would beryllium highly inappropriate of maine to talk to the evidence. We person to support the integrity of this case. If we marque an arrest, that idiosyncratic has the close to a just trial, [so] I can't beryllium present and code each of that," Nanos told CBS News. "We are moving hard with each of our partners to resoluteness this case, and we will."

If bodily fluid was recovered anyplace successful the house, it would beryllium a apical precedence for the FBI, since it's easier to get a afloat DNA illustration from bodily fluid. Skin cells often output little levels of DNA, making it hard to pinpoint an individual.

If the root of the DNA is simply a hairsbreadth sample, immoderate afloat hairsbreadth follicles that see the basal would beryllium overmuch much apt to incorporate high-quality DNA than conscionable a strand of hair.

Sources adjacent to the probe told CBS News that adjacent a low-level sample tin beryllium enhanced by technological techniques successful the lab, but the process could beryllium lengthy.

Earlier successful the case, different DNA illustration turned retired to beryllium a dormant end. The sheriff's section recovered DNA from a set of gloves recovered astir 2 miles from Nancy Guthrie's house, but yet traced them backmost to a adjacent edifice idiosyncratic who had nary connection to the investigation.

In a connection provided to the media connected Monday, a spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff's Department said, "As we scope the 100-day people successful this investigation, technological grounds processing and integer media investigation stay ongoing." They added that investigators are "actively pursuing leads and tips," and continued to promote anyone with accusation to travel forward.

Doorbell camera video

Aside from DNA, the other promising lead that generated a immense magnitude of attraction was video from a Ring doorbell camera, which captured images of a suspect wearing a skis mask, gloves and a backpack astatine Guthrie's beforehand doorway the nighttime she vanished.

The FBI said the video was recovered from "residual information located successful backend systems."FBI Director Kash Patel said successful a caller podcast that helium spoke straight to Google enactment successful bid to get it.

The FBI quickly put it retired to the public on Feb. 10 successful hopes idiosyncratic would admit the antheral successful the video. In the days that followed, tips flooded successful and investigators carried retired respective searches that led nowhere.

So acold the FBI has not released immoderate much video to the public, but it continues to impulse radical to stock immoderate accusation that mightiness beryllium tied to the lawsuit to the FBI extremity line.

The FBI and sheriff's department person already received thousands of tips. Phone data, surveillance video, GPS data, app and unreality records and societal media accounts besides make mountains of accusation investigators indispensable benignant done portion by piece.

"Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs travel not from melodramatic confessions oregon Hollywood-style moments, but from diligent investigation and 1 tiny inconsistency that yet breaks a lawsuit open," Pack said.

100 days — and the way ahead

Law enforcement agents who've worked missing kid cases, convulsive transgression investigations and hostage situations cognize that the nationalist often interprets soundlessness for inactivity.

"That is not however large investigations work. The cameras whitethorn determination on. The investigators usually bash not," Pack said. "A 100 days feels similar everlastingly to a family. In investigative terms, it tin inactive beryllium early."

Behind the scenes, the pb detective and lawsuit agents assigned to the Guthrie lawsuit person spent the past 100 days doing the slow, frustrating and exhausting enactment the nationalist ne'er sees like, re-interviewing witnesses, sorting done aged tips and accusation with caller eyes, and moving down caller tips.

"They're looking for the 1 item that did not acceptable the archetypal clip around," Pack said.

On Mother's Day, Savannah Guthrie released a connection connected societal media, writing, "We volition ne'er halt looking for you. We volition ne'er beryllium astatine bid until we find you."

She continues to inquire the nationalist for help.

The FBI is offering a reward of $50,000 for accusation starring to the betterment of Nancy Guthrie oregon the apprehension and condemnation of anyone progressive successful her disappearance. The Guthrie household has offered an further reward of $1million for information. Local Crime Stoppers is offering $2,500 positive a $100,000 donation from Milwaukee lawyer Michael Hupy.

"Someone knows thing that tin marque the difference," Guthrie wrote successful her Mother's Day post. "Please support praying. Bring her home."

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