Nancy Guthrie’s alleged kidnapper had a target, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
“I think this was an individual who had a target for whatever reason, and he has made it tough, but I’ve got some pretty tough investigators, too,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said during an interview on the “Today” show on Feb. 18.
Nanos did not elaborate on why he thought the missing 84-year-old, who is the mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie, was specifically targeted.
The Epoch Times has reached out to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department for additional information.
Speculation of a targeted kidnapping came one day after the FBI’s attempt to gather more information about a potential suspect fell short when agents couldn’t confirm a DNA match between gloves found near Nancy Guthrie’s neighborhood and profiles in its federal database.
The sheriff’s department confirmed on Feb. 17 that the DNA found on a set of gloves two miles from Nancy Guthrie’s home “did not trigger a match in CODIS and did not match DNA found at the property.”
CODIS is the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System database of DNA profiles.
“The DNA found at the property is being analyzed, and further testing needs to be done as part of the investigation,” the sheriff’s department added.
FBI officials told The Epoch Times on Feb. 15 that the gloves recovered from Nancy Guthrie’s house “appear to match the gloves of the subject in the surveillance video” recovered outside the 84-year-old’s home.
Investigators collected a total of 16 gloves while searching for clues about Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
“Most of them were searchers’ gloves that they discarded in various areas when they searched the vicinity,” the FBI stated.
The FBI did not respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment regarding which officials and agencies left gloves on the ground while investigating the case.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on Jan. 31 after having dinner with her family.
Investigators believe that she was abducted from her home.
Investigators suspect the person in the video was carrying a black 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Backpack on his back.
Nancy Guthrie’s family continued to hold out hope as the investigation entered its third week.
Nancy Guthrie’s children have offered to pay the alleged kidnapper for their mother’s return, but it’s not known if a payment was made.
The FBI doubled its reward to $100,000 for a tip leading to an arrest in the case.
