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EXCLUSIVE: TUCSON, Ariz. — Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who is leading the investigation into the suspected abduction of Nancy Guthrie, told Fox News Digital Friday that the task force handling the case is making progress nearly 100 days after she vanished from her home in the Catalina Foothills.
Asked whether investigators are closer to solving the case nearly 100 days in, Nanos replied, “We are.”
He nodded, adding that the developments are “really great” as he got into his white Corvette. He did not elaborate.
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Guthrie is the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie.
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He declined to answer another question about Mother’s Day, which is Sunday.
Late last month, a private forensic lab in Florida sent a hair sample to the FBI for more advanced analysis.
Experts have told Fox News Digital the hair could be used for investigative or forensic genetic genealogy if it doesn’t match anyone known to have been in Guthrie’s home, potentially pointing a task force of county detectives and FBI agents toward a suspect.
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Relatives and workers who had reason to be at Guthrie’s home have previously given voluntary DNA samples, so the hair could point to a suspect if it doesn’t match any of them.
“Building DNA profiles from hair or other forensic evidence does not necessarily take long,” said Dr. David Mittelman, co-founder of Othram, a leading private forensics laboratory.
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“In the ‘Idaho Four’ murders, for example, the DNA profile was developed within days. The challenge in forensic genetic genealogy is not simply generating a DNA profile, but generating a high-quality profile. Poor-quality or incomplete DNA profiles can make genetic genealogy difficult, ambiguous, or even impossible.”
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That’s because an incomplete profile can lead researchers to miss potential familial connections that could help find a suspect.
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“If you don’t have a good profile, you may not see all the genetic relatives,” he added. “It can be harder to resolve how people are related or not.”
Nanos said previously that investigators believe Guthrie was taken from her home around 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 1.
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Deputies arrived around noon that day after her daughter and son-in-law called 911 to report her missing.
Since then, the FBI obtained Nest doorbell imagery with the help of Google that shows a masked man of average height and build carrying a holstered pistol at Guthrie’s front steps around the time of her abduction.
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A man in similar clothing was spotted about three weeks earlier approaching her door again.
He has not been publicly identified, but retired FBI profiler Jim Clemente told Fox News Digital this week that he believes the suspect made a number of mistakes that could help investigators identify him, if someone in his inner circle doesn’t come forward first.
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There is a combined reward of more than $1.2 million to solve the case.
To remain anonymous, contact Tucson’s 88-Crime tip line at 520-882-7463.
The Guthrie family is urging anyone with information to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI.
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