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Pima County sheriff warns in NBC interview DNA tech issues in Nancy Guthrie case may take ‘months’ to resolve
By Louis Casiano
Published February 21, 2026
Investigators in the Nancy Guthrie missing persons case are not looking into any new names, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said, amid challenges with mixed DNA found at the 84-year-old's Arizona home at the lab his agency is using.
"In terms of leads and working and getting out there, I think that's still growing, yeah," Nanos said of the investigation during an interview with "NBC Nightly News" that aired Saturday.
The sheriff's remarks ran counter to statements from local businesses about how they’ve been shown a list of names and images by the FBI.
Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, with investigators treating the case as an apparent abduction. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said no new names were being looked at in the case and hinted at technological challenges related to DNA. (Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images; Courtesy of NBC)
It’s also unclear whether the DNA recovered inside Guthrie's has been useful for the investigation. Nanos said the samples are mixed, meaning they contain DNA from more than one person, making it harder to run through national databases.
"Our lab tells us that there are challenges with it," Nanos said of the Florida lab his agent is using. "The technology is moving so fast and in such a frenzy that they think some of this stuff will resolve itself just in a matter of weeks, months, or maybe a year."
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Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos speaks to the media in Catalina, Ariz., Feb. 3, while answering questions about the search for Nancy Guthrie. (Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images)
The sheriff noted that investigators were still working other avenues of the weeks-long probe into Guthrie's abduction.
"I think we're getting a little closer to identifying some of the other articles, not just that backpack. Like the shoes, the pants, the shirt or jacket," he said.
Guthrie was last seen on the night of Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, after being dropped off at her home in the Catalina Foothills area near Tucson.
"Today" host Savannah Guthrie, right, with her mother, Nancy Guthrie. (Don Arnold/WireImage)
"It's never fast enough for the Sheriff," Nanos said of the criticism of his office weeks after Gutherie's disappearance, with no arrests made. "I want it like you. Come on, guys, let's go. Let's go, let us find her. But the reality is, I also know that sometimes things take time."
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"We're not quitting," he added. "We'll find her."
Fox News Digital's Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/pima-county-sheriff-warns-nbc-interview-dna-tech-issues-nancy-guthrie-case-months-resolve