Nancy Guthrie may be out of the consistent headlines close to two three months after her disappearance, but the investigation into her abduction remains active.
The FBI in the case shared an update regarding DNA evidence that was recently found at the 84-year-old’s home.
FBI Confirms That Recently Recovered DNA Evidence Is ‘Not New’
Per Entertainment Weekly, Ben Williamson, assistant director for public affairs at the FBI, confirmed that DNA evidence recovered from Nancy Guthrie’s Tucson home is “not new,” via a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Still receiving inquiries on this: this is not new evidence or information,” Williamson wrote in response to a report from ABC News about the evidence discovery.
“FBI asked to test this DNA 2 months ago with the same technology we’ve always had – when the local Sheriff instead sent it to a private lab. Any further developments we will share as soon as appropriate,” he added.
The DNA evidence was reported to be distinct from previous samples tested at a Florida lab used by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department Was Recently Under Fire For Misleading Post Regarding Guthrie’s Disappearance
On April 16, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department posted to X, that “Nancy has been located,” sparking immediate outrage after online users realized the department was referring to a different missing woman also named Nancy.
The update to the Nancy Radakovich case included Radakovich’s photo, but it was obstructed by large, red text that read, “LOCATED.” The caption read, “Update: Nancy has been located,” with the last name excluded, leading many to think Nancy Guthrie was the person who had been found.
Authorities Previously Addressed Speculation That A Dead Body Found Was Nancy Guthrie’s
“A death investigation is underway after an adult woman’s body was recovered from a canal near Indian Bend and Hayden Roads on March 28th,” the statement began. “Police and fire personnel were first called to the area around 8 a.m. after someone walking along the canal saw the body in the water.”
“Scottsdale detectives and crime scene specialists responded to the scene to collect evidence and thoroughly document the scene,” the statement continued.
“Due to the condition of the body, investigators are initially unable to confirm if there are traumatic injuries present. The investigation is still in the early stages as detectives work to confirm the identity of the person and how they ended up in the canal,” the statement read.
When an X user asked if the unidentified body was connected to Guthrie’s disappearance, the Scottsdale Police Department responded that it was “not related” to Guthrie’s disappearance, which is being led by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
Retired FBI Agent Says Guthrie Case ‘Much Harder’ To Solve As Investigation Continues
On March 17, CBS News spoke with retired FBI supervisory special agent Lance Leising, who told the outlet that it will be difficult to keep the investigation going without any new leads.
“The lack of meaningful leads. That’s the initial thing it says to me,” Leising said of the investigation seemingly being at a standstill. “It becomes much harder to keep the investigation going, keep it current, and fight for new leads.”
However, he did note that the lack of leads doesn’t mean that all hope is lost in finding Guthrie because the process “takes a while.”
“Maybe you’ve got multiple people within the same DNA family that could potentially be suspects. You have to investigate each one of those independently,” he said.
“I’d like to be hopeful that — and I’m sure the family is incredibly hopeful — that the silence is because they’re on to something,” Leising continued. “They just need to investigate harder.”
Savannah Guthrie Returned To ‘Today’ Months After Her Mother’s Disappearance
On March 27, Hoda Kotb, who conducted Savannah Guthrie’s first sit-down interview since her mother’s disappearance, shared on the “Today” show that she would officially make her return to the show on April 6.
In the third part of the interview, Savannah explained her decision to return to the show as her mother, who disappeared on February 1, remains missing.
“It’s hard to imagine doing it because it’s such a place of joy and lightness and I can’t come back and try to be something that I’m not,” she said of returning to her co-anchor spot. “But I can’t not come back because it’s my family. I think it’s part of my purpose right now. I want to smile.”
“And when I do, it will be real. And my joy will be my protest. My joy will be my answer,” she continued. “And being there is joyful. And when it’s not, I’ll say so. I have been so grateful to have this family. I consider this my family, my greater family, and when times are hard, you want to be with your family. And I want to be with my family.”
Savannah admitted how difficult it will be to return to airwaves in the midst of such an extreme personal tragedy.
“I don’t know if I can do it. I don’t know if I’ll belong anymore, but I would like to try. I would like to try. I’m not gonna be the same, but maybe it’s like that old poem, more beautiful in the broken places,” she told Kotb.