Could a Second Crime Scene Unlock the Nancy Guthrie Mystery? Experts Weigh In

Genetic detective CeCe Moore believes genetic genealogy will solve the Nancy Guthrie case and that it’s only a matter of time. Speaking on ‘The Truth of the Matter’ podcast with journalist Natasha Zouves, the founder of DNA Detectives said finding a second location or crime scene could be key to cracking the case.

​The blood discovered on Guthrie’s porch has been confirmed as hers. Meanwhile, investigators also identified a foreign DNA profile inside the home; the sample does not match anyone in federal databases and appears to be mixed. In such cases, how can genetic genealogy assist in identifying a suspect?

The 2022 University of Idaho murders case was solved using the same technology. Investigators in that case could link the DNA on a tan leather knife sheath at the crime scene to the suspect Bryan Kohberger.

​“If they can get a viable profile from the actual kidnapper, he will be identified through genetic genealogy,” Moore, who solved 300-plus cases using the technology, said.

​“If there is a second crime scene that is discovered with her remains, then that gives them another opportunity to find DNA. So, even if, for some reason, they don’t have a viable profile now, it doesn't mean all hope has been extinguished. There may be another opportunity.”

​Moore suggested authorities re-swab the crime scene because even a rootless hair can sometimes prove to be crucial in an investigation. “She had to be held somewhere. That place she is being or was held is the second crime scene,” the expert said. “Or if she was deceased in a car or something, again, that is also a second crime scene. It’s just a matter of time until authorities close in on something like that.”

Genetic genealogy is a technique that combines DNA analysis from crime scenes with traditional genealogical research to identify unknown suspects or victims.

​By uploading unidentified DNA profiles to public databases like GEDmatch or FamilyTreeDNA, forensic experts are able to identify genetic relatives, mapping family trees to pinpoint offenders.

​The suspect in the 1986 Michella Welch murder, Gary Hartman, was caught in 2018 after Moore used a DNA sample from the crime scene to build a family tree that eventually led authorities to Hartman and his brother.

Meanwhile, a veteran law enforcement expert is raising serious concerns about Sheriff Chris Nanos’ decision to reopen the crime scene.

​“It perplexed everyone when Nanos said on TV that he opened the crime scene. How could you open a crime scene? That’s not something a sheriff does,” Dr. Richard Carmona, a former Pima County Sheriff’s Deputy, said.

​“It’s the lead detective that’s out there that says, we can open this area now because we have made this determination that all the evidence necessary has been photographed, bagged, tagged, and so on, and now we can have it,” he said.

​He also pointed to what he described as a breakdown in basic protocol, recalling footage of a pizza delivery driver entering the scene.

​“I saw on TV a pizza delivery guy walking across the yard. That is crazy… normally you lock down the crime scene, and you have a log book that anybody coming in and out has to sign in the time,” he said. “How do we know it’s real evidence when it’s corrupted? The sheriff could not maintain the integrity of the crime scene,” Carmona added.