Nancy Guthrie Case Could Take “Months or Years” to Resolve, Expert Warns

More than three weeks ago, investigators retrieved DNA evidence from Nancy Guthrie’s home. However, the sample has not helped authorities identify the suspected kidnapper so far. An expert now says it could take months, or even years, to analyze the DNA and generate results.

The reason is that the evidence contains mixed DNA, meaning it includes genetic material from more than one person. Genetic genealogist CeCe Moore says investigators currently do not have access to technology that can separate the mixed DNA and identify the suspect.

Moore, who leads Parabon NanoLabs, suggested investigators may be waiting for technological advances, which could take months or years. She recently appeared on The Truth of the Matter podcast with Natasha Zouves, where the host asked her whether the Nancy Guthrie case could take a year to solve.

Moore replied, “The way I interpret that it means they don't currently have the ability to separate it, and they're hoping that the science is going to advance.” The expert added that genetic genealogy has advanced greatly in recent years and has helped solve hundreds of cold cases using DNA evidence.

However, it might still not be advanced enough to separate DNA from a mixed sample. “And so when I hear they think it might be a year, that says to me that whatever software, or whatever their bioinformatic scientists have at this moment, is not successful in deconvoluting that sample. So they are hoping that things will change in the coming months or years,” Moore said.

The genealogist also noted that while the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) does not appear to have access to the required technology, scientists may already be developing it. “That's not to say that there isn't somebody out there who is developing something, or has developed something that would work. So hopefully this will spur on even more innovation and give new people, new scientists, the opportunity to present maybe something they've been working on,” Moore said.

Moore said she has helped law enforcement solve more than 300 cases using genetic genealogy. Although she is not directly involved in the Guthrie case, she previously worked with the lab now being consulted by the Pima County Sheriff’s Office to analyze the DNA evidence.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos earlier announced that the lab was facing challenges in examining the DNA sample and that it might take a long time to get results. In February, he said in an interview with NBC News, “We listen to our lab, and our lab tells us that there’s challenges with it, and we understand those challenges.”

“But our lab also knows that the technology is moving so fast and in such a frenzy that they think some of this stuff will resolve itself just in a matter of weeks, months, or maybe a year, to allow them to do better with, say, a mixture of that kind of thing,” Nanos added.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, went missing from her home in Catalina Foothills, Arizona, on the night of January 31. Ever since, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI have been investigating the case, but the suspect remains at large.