The search for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie, is stretching into its third week with investigators looking at DNA samples for clues about her disappearance.
More than two dozen SWAT trucks and other police vehicles were seen leaving a house a few miles away from Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Arizona, late on Friday. But officials said no arrests were made after a tip that led to a search warrant.
The sheriff’s department said Friday that investigators are working to identify DNA collected at the property that does not belong to Guthrie or those who were in close contact with her. They also found gloves approximately two miles from Guthrie’s home.
Guthrie was reported missing by her family on Feb. 1. Sheriff’s deputies found blood on the front door that was later confirmed to be hers.
Authorities released video on Tuesday showing a person tampering with the home surveillance camera at Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance. They have since questioned multiple people, all of whom have been released.
No suspect has been named so far. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told Reuters that the “strongest evidence” they have so far is surveillance camera footage showing a masked person who appeared to be armed on her porch the night she went missing.
Investigators have requested footage from neighbors with surveillance cameras in the area from Jan. 1 to Feb. 2, the day after Guthrie was reported missing.
The FBI on Thursday also increased its reward money for information on Guthrie’s disappearance to $100,000, describing the suspect as a man approximately 5’9”-5’10” with an average build.
Guthrie’s children have posted multiple videos pleading for the release of their mother and asking for help from the public.
“I don’t have any reason to believe she’s not alive,” Nanos told Reuters. “The family believes she’s alive. I believe she’s alive. My team — 400 officers out there right now — are working hard because they believe she’s alive.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.