What To Know
- Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, remains missing nine months after her abduction in Tucson.
- Retired FBI agent Maureen O’Connell highlighted that evidence in the case has been sent to four specialized labs, indicating more evidence exists than previously disclosed.
- O’Connell expressed hope that DNA analysis, especially from bodily fluids, could yield breakthroughs.
Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie‘s mother, Nancy Guthrie, remains missing nearly nine months after her abduction in Tucson, Arizona — and a retired FBI agent weighed in on a new evidence twist.
In the October 21 episode of Brian Entin Investigates, the NewsNation senior national correspondent spoke with former FBI special agent Maureen O’Connell. They chatted about Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and his recent radio interview on KVOI AM 1030’s Bill Buckmaster Show.
“What did you make of when he talked about how he still does not believe this is a cold case?” Brian Entin asked O’Connell.
“Well, I think by virtue of the amount of time that has passed, it’s certainly not a roaring hot case,” she replied. “But I did like what he’s talked about, the evidence. He talked about evidence being at four different labs. That means there was a lot more evidence than we were originally told.”
O’Connell continued, “I was very glad to hear there were four labs that evidence was sent to. Because as you and I have talked about before, about these different labs, they specialize in very, very specific, nice things. You know, like getting a full DNA profile from a rootless hair… That’s why that Florida lab was important.”
Additionally, the retired FBI agent admitted, “I don’t know these other labs specialize in. But I know one of them is for the mixture of four people’s DNA. I just am absolutely gobsmacked that there hasn’t been any kind of genetic genealogy hit yet.”
Whether the four labs can help identify a suspect depends on the type of DNA being tested, O’Connell explained.
“If they have saliva or if they have DNA that’s a bodily fluid, I think that’s really good,” she said. “And that’s something I would really hang my hat on and be very, very hyper-focused on that.”
She also pointed out that it’s promising that Nanos sent detectives to the labs because it’s more likely the evidence is “going to be pretty good.” McConnell explained, “They’re not going to let me go down there if it’s some random thing that they’re not sure they can do.”
Nancy, 84, was last seen on the evening of January 31; her family reported her missing on February 1. Although investigators released photos of a masked suspect on her front porch and published alleged ransom notes, no suspect has been named in the case. Savannah has also offered a $1 million reward for information leading to an arrest.