Nancy Guthrie Case: Mystery Deepens as Gilgo Beach Breakthrough Lab Joins Investigation

Now that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is re-analyzing DNA evidence collected from Nancy Guthrie’s home, experts believe it could finally lead to a breakthrough in the case. The FBI is reportedly consulting the San Francisco-based Astrea Forensics lab to test the samples.

What makes the lab notable is that it played an important role in solving the Gilgo Beach killings. Astrea Forensics used advanced technology to trace the DNA in rootless hair, which pointed to Rex Heuermann, 62. The man later pleaded guilty to killing multiple women between 1993 and 2010 in Long Island, New York.

The FBI is said to have received hair samples from Guthrie’s home that were previously sent to Florida-based DNA Labs International (DLI) for testing by the Pima County Sheriff's Department. However, the testing failed to return any significant results. Now that there is a possibility of Astrea Forensics re-analyzing the evidence, experts are hopeful it could finally lead to Nancy Guthrie's kidnapper.

Talking about the potential involvement of Astrea Forensics in Guthrie’s case, genetic genealogist CeCe Moore said in an interview with Fox News, “I am pretty confident that they will want to use the lab that they have been extremely successful with, which is Astrea.”

Moore further discussed why DLI was not able to yield results from the hair samples and said, “DLI has been working to refine their own rootless hair analysis, but I haven't seen any successful cases from them yet.”

The expert added that the FBI should consult Astrea Forensics, owing to the lab’s success in solving the Gilgo Beach murders case. “The FBI used them for the Gilgo case. So they have a lot of confidence in Astrea. Sending it to Astrea, where there is a proven track record, is by far the safest option,” Moore said.

The genetic genealogist echoed similar sentiments in another interview. During a conversation with investigative reporter Brian Entin, Moore highlighted that the groundbreaking evidence used in the Gilgo Beach case could pave the way to solving Nancy Guthrie's disappearance.

“I’ve been really hoping that maybe they had some hair to work with. Because of the more recent advancements in the field, hair actually can make the case solvable. So I’m really excited,” Moore said.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, went missing from her home near Tucson, Arizona, between January 31 and February 1. Ever since, the investigation into her disappearance has been handled jointly by the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department has faced scrutiny for getting DNA samples tested at a private Florida lab. In a statement on social media, the FBI’s Assistant Director for Public Affairs, Ben Williamson, clarified that the agency had not collected any new evidence and was only going to reanalyze the samples gathered early in the investigation.

"This is not new evidence or information. 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,” Williamson said.