Nancy Guthrie Case Remains Unsolved For These 'Unprofessional' Reasons As Abduction Enters Third Week

Authorities have yet to make significant progress in solving Nancy Guthrie's mysterious disappearance, with reports now pointing to several possible reasons for the delay.

Among the issues cited was the alleged mishandling of the crime scene by local police, including the overlooking of a key detail during the initial search.

Sheriff Chris Nanos also faced criticism over his handling of DNA evidence, with some claiming his approach to the case has been driven more by ego than efficiency.

Three weeks into the mysterious disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, 84, investigators still lack significant evidence that could provide answers.

While that could change in the near future, the handling of the investigation has drawn heavy criticism, with some arguing it is partly responsible for the lack of significant breakthroughs.

Part of the scrutiny has focused on how local police initially secured the crime scene, reportedly leaving it open and unprotected to all without security or crime-scene tape.

"It looks unprofessional. It doesn't look good for our department when we've had reporters walking up and essentially contaminating the scene," Aaron Cross, president of the Pima County Deputies Association, told the New York Post.

Compounding the missteps, local police not only surrendered the scene early on but also overlooked a roof-mounted camera during their initial inspection.

"In my professional opinion, I believe they released the crime scene too early. And that was on Sheriff Nanos," ex-cop Brantner Smith told the outlet.

Concerns were also raised over the handling of DNA evidence. A glove found near Nancy Guthrie's home contained DNA linked to a potential suspect captured on surveillance footage.

Sheriff Chris Nanos, however, refused to allow the FBI to test it at their Quantico labs. Rather, he opted for using "a private lab in Florida," which cost around $200,000 and was chosen because of its specialization in forensic genealogy.

This move appears tied to Nanos's refusal to let the FBI take over the case due to his long-running feud with the agency, a stance that has seemingly further jeopardized the investigation.

Ultimately, the costly DNA testing produced no results, as the samples did not match any profiles in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), the FBI's national database of convicted offenders and arrestees.

Additionally, the DNA did not match any of the samples recovered from Nancy Guthrie's home, including those of her family members, all of whom have since been cleared as suspects.

Even regarding Guthrie's possible whereabouts, local police and the FBI have yet to reach a consensus.

Nanos and his team maintain that Guthrie may still be in Tucson, despite her pacemaker ceasing communication with her iPhone at 2:28 a.m. on February 1.

In contrast, the FBI allegedly believes that the octogenarian may have been smuggled into Mexico and has reportedly been in talks with Mexican authorities over this possibility.

However, neither scenario is certain, with Border Patrol officer Leon Boyer, an expert on Mexican security, calling the latter theory less likely.

"[Cartels] are going to target people in Mexico. They're not targeting people in the US. Why would they bring attention to themselves?" he told the New York Post.

Recently, Guthrie's case took a further twist with the emergence of yet another ransom note.

Initially, a first ransom note requested $6millon in crypto, but wasn't paid, and the two deadlines it listed have since passed.

The latest also requested the same amount but in a different crypto and was "a little more graphic and chilling," according to TMZ founder Harvey Levin.

"The previous one was also pretty chilling, but the way this is described is more so," he said during an interview, per US Weekly.

According to Levin, the new note also displayed even greater sophistication and had several conditions and specifications, including directives that involved the media.

"The money will automatically go into this account if certain things happen. It actually involves the media, too, in terms of what the media puts out," Levin revealed further.

For now, the FBI has yet to confirm the authenticity of the new note or that of the previous one.

However, Levin did claim that the agency is currently looking into both notes and has spent a good amount of time scrutinizing the former.