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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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A former detective has explained the "forensic horsemen" that investigators need to solve the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie.
Joseph Giacalone, a retired New York Police Department sergeant and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told Newsweek that the three aspects he relied on to solve crimes were cellphone records, online records and video surveillance.
The Context
Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for more than a month. She was last seen at her home near Tucson, Arizona, on January 31 and was reported missing the following day. Authorities believe she was kidnapped and said drops of her blood were found on the front porch.
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Since the first days of her disappearance, authorities have expressed concern about her health because she needs vital daily medication.
On February 10, the FBI released video from a doorbell camera showing a masked man on Nancy Guthrie's porch on the night she disappeared. Authorities have not publicly identified the person, whom they called a suspect, but the FBI described the person as a male about 5 feet, 9 or 10 inches tall with an average build and said he was carrying a 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.
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What To Know
Giacalone said he was "holding out hope" that investigators get the break they need in the case.
He said the biggest lead that investigators had was the surveillance footage, but he questioned why authorities were still asking publicly for surveillance footage from residents in Nancy Guthrie's neighborhood a month into her disappearance.
"That should have been done through a canvass when the case was first brought to their attention," he said.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department has sought surveillance footage from January 1 to February 2 from residents living within a 2-mile radius of Nancy Guthrie's residence and has repeatedly urged those who have not done so to submit any relevant footage through its website.
The sheriff's department said on February 27 that investigators were "actively reviewing surveillance video of vehicles traveling in the Catalina Foothills area, including areas farther from the Guthrie residence."
Giacalone also said the DNA evidence in the case "could be promising, but if they have to rely on building out a family tree, that could take a long time."
He also noted that Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos had made "conflicting" statements about how long it could take to solve the case.
In mid-February, Nanos told The New York Times: "Maybe it's an hour from now. Maybe it's weeks or months or years from now. But we won't quit. We're going to find Nancy. We're going to find this guy."
Last week, the sheriff told NBC News that investigators were "definitely closer" to tracking down the suspect.
Nanos said investigators had not identified any of the clothing the suspect seen in the surveillance video was wearing but were looking into the possibility the suspect's backpack, which is sold exclusively at Walmart, may have been purchased online.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department confirmed last week that DNA from black gloves that were recovered about 2 miles from Nancy Guthrie's home had been traced to a local restaurant employee who was "not part of this investigation."
The sheriff's department did not disclose how the gloves were traced to the employee but had previously said investigators would seek to use investigative genetic genealogy in the investigation.
Authorities said last month that DNA from the gloves did not match any entries in CODIS, the FBI's national database. The FBI had earlier said the gloves appeared to match those worn by the masked person seen in the surveillance footage.
Nanos also said that investigators were still facing challenges processing mixed DNA found at Nancy Guthrie's home that did not belong to her or those in close contact with her. The sheriff suggested the mixture could contain DNA from several people.
Last week, Savannah Guthrie and her family returned to Nancy Guthrie's home in their first sighting at the house since she went missing. The family is offering a $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of their mother.
What People Are Saying
Joseph Giacalone, a former New York Police Department sergeant and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told Newsweek: "I'm still holding out hope that investigators get the break they need. I want to see a united front with both the sheriff and the FBI. They need to work together to find out who was responsible for the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie."
Savannah Guthrie wrote on Instagram last week: "We feel the love and prayers from our neighbors, from the Tucson community and from around the country. ... Please don't stop praying and hoping with us. bring her home."
What Happens Next
Anyone with information is urged to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), 520-351-4900 or 88-CRIME or visit tips.fbi.gov.
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