Ex-FBI Agent Points to Blood Spatter as Chilling Clue in Nancy Guthrie’s Disappearance

As the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie continues, new clues may help investigators piece together what happened the night she vanished. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department, led by Sheriff Chris Nanos, is working alongside the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on the case.

Journalist Brian Entin recently discussed the blood pattern found on the porch of Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Arizona. During the latest episode of Brian Entin Investigates, he spoke with former FBI special agents Maureen O’Connell and Jim Clemente about what the evidence might suggest.

The trio examined the possibility that Guthrie did not leave her home on her own that night. “I doubt that she walked out because there were no voids. The pattern of the blood is concentrated, and the sphere is big and round, but there are no voids. For me, in my mind, she’s wrapped up in something, and they are carrying her out. That’s why the shape of the blood droplets is all round. And the sphere is intact,” O’Connell said.

Clemente said, “If she was wrapped up and still splattering blood, she wasn’t wrapped well.”

They also discussed the possibility that the abductor may have approached from the desert area located behind Guthrie’s home. “She was a small woman who put up a fight, and that’s why there’s blood,” Clemente said.

Clemente said the blood found on the porch could indicate that Guthrie was still alive when she was taken from the house. “If you saw a dragging pattern and smear patterns on the floor, then that would be another issue. We haven’t heard anything about that. This blood splatter pattern that appears to be from droplets tells me somebody was walking,” he added.

O’Connell offered another possible explanation for how the blood may have ended up on the porch. “She was wrapped up a little bit like a burrito, and when they got to the front to open the big oak door and the iron gate, they had to put in an effort, and probably her head moved, and that’s why the blood dripped. She was about 150 pounds,” O’Connell said.

The experts also suggested that the struggle may have escalated because Guthrie was not wearing her hearing aid and may not have been able to follow the abductor’s commands. “It’s so sad,” O’Connell said.

Dr. Michael Baden, a forensic pathologist, said Guthrie could have been bleeding from either her hands or face. “The nature of the blood spots with little pale centers or donut shapes is typical for drops that come from the nose or mouth, because they’re mixed with air,” Baden told Fox News.

“These are not innocent droplets. From the shape, number of droplets, and the place of the droplets outside the house on the porch, they are entirely consistent and indicative of occurring during an abduction,” Baden added.

O’Connell said Guthrie’s kind nature may have made her more vulnerable.

​“I also think that from what we know about Nancy, she was such a nice and kind person,” O’Connell said. “I have a neighbor, Marsha, who is also 84, and I love her like my mom. When everything kicked off with this case, I became 10 times more careful with her. The thing is, they tell everyone everything. If someone came in and asked to use the restroom, she would say yes.”