A glove containing DNA found about two miles from the home of the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie appears to match those worn by a masked person outside her front door in Tucson the night she disappeared, the FBI said Sunday.
The glove, discovered in a field next to a road, has been sent for DNA testing. The FBI said in a statement that it had received preliminary results on Saturday and was awaiting official confirmation. The development comes as law enforcement gathers more potential evidence as the search for Guthrie’s mother enters its third week. The authorities had previously said that they had not identified a suspect.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her home in Arizona on January 31 and was reported missing the next day. Authorities said her blood was found on the front porch. Purported ransom notes were sent to news outlets, but two payment deadlines have passed.
The discovery was made days after investigators released surveillance footage of the masked man outside Guthrie’s front door. A porch camera recorded video of a person with a backpack who was wearing a ski mask, long pants, jacket and gloves.
On Thursday, the FBI named the person as a suspect. He described him as a man about 5 feet, 9 inches tall with a medium build. The agency said he was carrying a 25 liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack” backpack.
Late Friday night, law enforcement agents sealed off a road about two miles (3.2 kilometers) from Guthrie’s home as part of their investigation. A number of sheriff’s and FBI vehicles, including forensic vehicles, drove through the roadblock.
Investigators also tagged and towed a Range Rover SUV from a nearby restaurant parking lot late Friday. The sheriff’s department later said the activity was part of the Guthrie investigation but no arrests were made.
On Tuesday, sheriff’s deputies detained a person for questioning during a traffic stop south of Tucson. The authorities did not say what led them to stop the man but they confirmed that he was released. On the same day, deputies and FBI agents conducted a court-authorized search in Rio Rico, about an hour’s drive south of the city.
Authorities have expressed concern about Nancy Guthrie’s health because she needs vital medicine every day. She is said to have a pacemaker and managed high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.
Earlier in the investigation, authorities said they had collected DNA from Nancy Guthrie’s property that does not belong to Guthrie or those in close contact with her. Investigators were working to identify who it belonged to.
The FBI also said that approximately 16 gloves were found in various locations near the home, many of which were searchers’ gloves that had been discarded.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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