Crime
Nancy Guthrie Investigators Turn to Genetic Testing Used in Bryan Kohberger Case
Investigators searching for missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie are pursuing a new forensic strategy that was used to identify convicted murderer Bryan Kohberger in the 2022 University of Idaho murders.
On Tuesday, February 17, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed in a press release that a pair of gloves found two miles from Guthrie’s home five days earlier did not “trigger a match” in the national CODIS database, which electronically compares DNA profiles.
“The DNA that was submitted to CODIS was from the set of gloves found 2 miles away. It did not trigger a match in CODIS & did not match DNA found at the property. The DNA found at the property is being analyzed & further testing needs to be done as part of the investigation,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said on X.
Officials confirmed they are now exploring a different approach.
“Investigators are currently looking into additional investigative genetic genealogy options for DNA evidence to check for matches,” the sheriff’s department said in a press release, according to Us Weekly.
The investigative genetic genealogy technique, known as IGG, was used to identify Kohberger in the 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students. Kohberger, 31, is serving four consecutive life sentences without parole after pleading guilty in July 2025 to avoid the death penalty.
Authorities in that case recovered a knife sheath from the victims’ off-campus home that contained DNA later linked to a Kohberger family member through IGG testing, court records explained.
Guthrie, meanwhile, has been missing since February 1 after she did not attend a virtual church service at a friend’s home. She was last seen the night of January 31 after having dinner with her daughter Annie Guthrie and her son-in-law. She was dropped off at her Catalina Foothills home after dinner.
FBI Director Kash Patel also released footage from Guthrie’s Nest camera, showing a masked, armed individual tampering with the device.
Guthrie’s three children — Annie, son Camron, and Savannah of Today — have released multiple videos urging whoever is responsible to cooperate so they can bring their mother home.
