Man captured by Nancy Guthrie's doorbell camera on the night she went missing. Photo / FBI
Man captured by Nancy Guthrie's doorbell camera on the night she went missing. Photo / FBI
DNA has been recovered from a glove appearing to match the suspected kidnapper of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of US news anchor Savannah Guthrie.
The FBI said the glove was found in a field on the side of the road 3km from Guthrie’s residence in Tucson, Arizona.
Guthrie is the84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie, co-host of The Today Show, one of the most-watched morning programmes in the United States.
“Investigators collected approximately 16 gloves in various areas near the house,” the FBI said. “The one with the DNA profile recovered is different and appears to match the gloves of the subject in the surveillance video.”
Earlier this week authorities released a video from Guthrie’s doorbell camera showing a man approaching the door in a balaclava, black gloves and wearing a backpack.
US news anchor Savannah Guthrie (left) with her mother Nancy Guthrie (right). Photo / Getty Images
The man approaches the door and tries to block the camera with his hand. He then goes into the garden and covers the camera with some plant material.
The FBI said it has received preliminary results on the DNA but is waiting for quality control and official confirmation before entering it into its database. This process typically takes 24 hours from when it receives DNA.
After reviewing the video, the FBI believes the suspect is male, medium build and between 175-177cm in height.
The FBI has also identified his backpack as a 25-litre Ozark Trail Hiker Pack.
Guthrie was last seen on the evening of January 31 when members of her family dropped her home.
The BBC reported Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos warned Guthrie’s health could deteriorate quickly without heart medication, saying she was not in good health. She is not noted as having any cognitive issues.
On February 12 the FBI doubled its reward for information leading to the return of Guthrie from US$50,000 ($82,808) to US$100,000.
Retired FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told Newsweek this was usually a bad sign.
“When I see the FBI is offering more money for information that tells me that the FBI doesn’t have the information.
“When you see a case quiet, where there’s no big amount of money offered, that means they are running leads, they really don’t need the public’s help. They need the public’s help right now.”
Newsweek reported the FBI had received nearly 20,000 tips since Guthrie was reported missing on February 1.
Guthrie’s children have repeatedly made calls on social media for help finding their mother.
A Californian man was arrested for sending a fake ransom text to Guthrie’s family and appeared in court February 12.
The suspect, Derrick Callella, was charged with “transmitting a demand for ransom”, according to US Attorney’s Office.
According to the criminal complaint, Callella is alleged to have texted Guthrie’s daughter and husband regarding a ransom. Three minutes after the text, he had a nine-second phone call with an unidentified family member.
The Attorney’s Office alleged Callella was an imposter trying to take advantage of the situation for monetary gain.
