The Pima County Sheriff says the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is getting closer to a resolution as the search reaches its 100th day. Sheriff Chris Nanos said the case remains active and that investigators are continuing to follow leads, but he has not publicly named a suspect or announced any arrests.
Nanos told Fox News Digital that the task force working the case is making “really great” progress, while declining to share specific evidence or detail what prompted his latest comments. The case began in early February, when the 84-year-old mother of “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie vanished from her home in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills.
Late last month, a private forensic laboratory in Florida sent a hair sample to the FBI for more advanced analysis, according to reporting on the investigation, according to Fox News.
Experts quoted by Fox News Digital said the sample could help with investigative genetic genealogy if it does not match people already known to have been in Guthrie’s home, giving detectives another possible path toward identifying a suspect.
The sheriff has also said investigators believe they understand the motive, though he has not disclosed it publicly.
Over the past 100 days, investigators have continued canvassing neighborhoods, reviewing surveillance footage, and following up on tips. The FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Office have also examined DNA and other material recovered from the home and from a camera near the front entrance.
Read more: Anonymous Tipsters Claim Seeing Nancy Guthrie Alive in Mexico, Offers Information on Kidnappers for Bitcoin
One major development came when the FBI released black-and-white doorbell camera images showing a masked person wearing gloves, a backpack, and carrying what appeared to be a firearm while tampering with the camera on the morning Guthrie was last seen, Yahoo News reported.
Investigators said the footage was recovered from backend systems after the home’s owner wiped the device, and they have not said it has identified a suspect.
A man detained near the U.S.-Mexico border after the images were released was questioned and later released without charges, according to law enforcement sources. Authorities have also said they have not confirmed any ransom demand or other direct communication suggesting the suspected abductor is in contact with the Guthrie family.
The family has kept public comments focused on the search and the work of investigators, while a reward for information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s safe return or an arrest remains in place. Savannah Guthrie has marked key moments in the case publicly, including Mother’s Day, while continuing to draw attention to the search.
Sheriff Nanos has recently sounded more optimistic than he did in the early days of the investigation, when officials were still trying to determine whether the disappearance involved a coordinated abduction.
He has not said whether Guthrie is believed to be alive, but he has stressed that detectives and federal agents are still working the case daily, as per the New York Times.