DNA breakthrough in Savannah Guthrie’s mother Nancy’s abduction: FBI links discarded glove to masked suspect

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing two weeks ago from her home near Tucson. Authorities believe she was taken against her will.

4 min readFeb 16, 2026 09:49 PM IST First published on: Feb 16, 2026 at 07:01 AM IST
Savannah Guthrie Mom MissingPima County Sheriff block a road near Nancy Guthrie's home in Tucson, Ariz. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Investigators have recovered a DNA sample from a glove found near the Arizona home of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of US television journalist Savannah Guthrie, Reuters reports. The FBI said the glove appears to match one worn by a masked man seen in doorbell camera footage shortly before she disappeared.

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing two weeks ago from her home near Tucson. Authorities believe she was taken against her will.

What exactly happened

The glove was discovered in a roadside field about two miles from Guthrie’s home. It was one of around 16 gloves collected in recent days.

The FBI said most of the gloves were likely dropped by search teams. However, one glove was “different and appears to match the gloves” worn by a masked man seen on camera trying to disable Guthrie’s doorbell camera before she was abducted.

The DNA sample was analysed by a private laboratory in Florida. The FBI said preliminary findings were received on Saturday and were awaiting “quality control and official confirmation” before being submitted to a national database.

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The sample will be run through CoDIS, the Combined DNA Index System, which is maintained by the FBI. Reuters reports that the process usually takes about 24 hours once the sample is received.

Who is involved

Nancy Guthrie is the mother of Savannah Guthrie, co-anchor of NBC News’ morning programme “Today”.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said on Friday he was certain the masked man seen in the video was the main suspect. The man was also seen carrying a backpack and wearing a holstered gun.

Nancy Guthrie, Nancy Guthrie kidnapping, Nancy Guthrie news,
This combo from images provided by the FBI shows surveillance footage at the home of Nancy Guthrie the night she went missing in Tucson, Ariz. (FBI via AP)

Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have posted video messages asking for their mother’s safe return. In one message, they said they were willing to meet ransom demands.

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US President Donald Trump has also expressed support for the family, according to Reuters.

How the investigation is progressing

Nancy Guthrie was last seen on 31 January after family members dropped her home following dinner. She was reported missing the next day.

Sheriff Nanos has said she had limited mobility and could not have left her home without help. Investigators concluded early on that she had been abducted.

Blood found on her front porch was confirmed by DNA testing to be hers, officials said last week. Authorities have also collected other DNA samples from her property, but there has been no official update on those results.

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Savannah Guthrie Mom Missing
This image provided by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, shows a missing person alert for Nancy Guthrie. (Pima County Sheriff’s Department via AP)

At least two ransom notes have been sent to media outlets since her disappearance.

On Friday night, sheriff’s deputies and FBI agents searched another home less than two miles from Guthrie’s residence under a federal warrant. A person was questioned during a traffic stop the same night, but no arrests were made.

Sheriff Nanos told Reuters that no proof of life has been received. “There’s not been any proof of death either,” he said.

The search has now entered its third week as investigators continue to examine forensic evidence and follow leads.

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