Federal authorities investigating the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie are being forced to hold back a public update as they wait on forensic results from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, according to multiple reports.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is said to be prepared to address Friday night’s dramatic SWAT raid in Tucson. Still, officials cannot move forward without lab findings tied to key evidence in the case.
That delay has shifted fresh scrutiny onto Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and his handling of the investigation.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, vanished from her $1 million home in the early hours of Feb. 1. Fourteen days later, she remains missing.
On Friday night, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at a residence near East Orange Grove Road and North First Avenue in Tucson. A SWAT team surrounded the property while agents conducted a separate traffic stop nearby. A Range Rover was towed for examination. No arrests were made.
Authorities described the operation as based on a lead connected to Guthrie’s disappearance. But federal officials have not provided further details, reportedly because they are waiting for test results tied to evidence collected earlier in the investigation.
Sheriff Nanos has already faced backlash for sending DNA samples to a private lab in Florida rather than to the FBI’s forensic facility in Quantico, Virginia. Critics argue that using federal resources could have accelerated the timeline.
Nanos has rejected claims that he blocked the FBI from accessing evidence, calling those allegations “not even close to the truth.”
Earlier this week, the sheriff’s office confirmed that DNA recovered from Guthrie’s property does not belong to her or anyone known to be in close contact with her. Investigators also located several gloves between roughly two and ten miles from her home. Those items were sent to the same out-of-state lab for analysis.
The FBI previously released doorbell camera footage showing a masked individual outside Guthrie’s home wearing black latex gloves, carrying a black backpack and appearing to have a holstered firearm. The suspect has been described as a male with an average build, approximately 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10.
Nanos has acknowledged that investigators do not yet know whether the gloves found miles away are connected to the suspect captured on video, per the Daily Mail.
Complicating matters further, the sheriff told The New York Times that the investigation could potentially take “years” to resolve. That comment has intensified criticism from those who believe early coordination issues may have slowed progress.
Meanwhile, federal officials are reportedly eager to clarify the purpose of Friday’s raid and traffic stop. But without lab confirmation tying evidence to a suspect, they are holding off.
At this stage, the forensic results appear to be the central pivot point in the case. If the unidentified DNA is matched to a known individual, the investigation could shift rapidly. If not, authorities may be left relying primarily on video analysis and field leads.
