Finding Nancy Guthrie: The DNA Takes a Turn - Ep. 22

Summary

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That's So Criminal: "Finding Nancy Guthrie: The DNA Takes a Turn" – Ep. 22 (April 17, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this compelling episode of That’s So Criminal, investigative reporter Lynden Blake explores the latest developments in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, a grandmother missing for 76 days. The episode focuses on the FBI obtaining and analyzing a critical hair DNA sample, the ongoing investigation's setbacks, and public missteps by the Pima County Sheriff’s Office. Special attention is given to the hope that new forensic technologies may finally provide a breakthrough, bringing hope to the Guthrie family and all following the case.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The DNA Turn: FBI Moves Forward with Critical Hair Sample

• Background: The FBI now has access to a hair DNA sample recovered early in the investigation from Nancy Guthrie’s home. This same evidence had been delayed at a private lab in Florida, causing frustration in the investigation's momentum.
• Jurisdictional Tensions: Discrepancies arose between the Pima County Sheriff's Office and the FBI regarding the significance and handling of the DNA sample.
  • Pima County Statement: Claims to have partnered with the FBI from the start, asserting "this is not new information" and that DNA analysis is ongoing.
  • FBI Response: Contradicts Pima County, confirming this is indeed "new information" since they've finally received the sample after an 11-week delay by Pima County sending it to a private lab first.
  • Quote: Lynden Blake [04:16]:
    “FBI has this new technology, this is very recent, where they can get DNA off rootless hair. Hair with a root, pretty straightforward. Hair without a root gets a little complicated.”

2. The Science Behind the Hair Sample

• Rootless Hair DNA Extraction:
  • Forensic expert Cece Moore clarifies the impact of new FBI technology for analyzing “rootless” hair.
  • Quote Cece Moore [03:47]:
    "Hair absolutely can make the case solvable. So I'm really excited. And the fact that they sent it to the FBI is interesting to me because they don't have the technology to extract snips from rootless hair. And I am assuming it's rootless hair, because if it had a root, it would be really quite straightforward, and the lab in Florida would have already done that, and maybe the case would already be solved."
• Mitigating the Risks:
  • Historically, rootless hair only allowed for mitochondrial DNA extraction—good for eliminating suspects, but not for exclusive identification.
  • Quote Cece Moore [04:39]:
    “Only mitochondrial DNA can be good for helping to rule people out. It's not so good for ruling people in, because so many people share the same profile.”

3. A "Hail Mary" and Public Hopes

• Investigation Fatigue & Hope:
  • Day 76—any progress, even uncertain, brings hope.
  • Lynden stresses the new analysis is a high-stakes gamble, potentially a breakthrough but possibly another dead end if the hair belongs to someone who had legitimate access to the home.
  • Quote Lynden Blake [05:12]:
    "This is another Hail Mary attempt in this investigation. But when you're on day 76, you get excited when there is a development."

4. Savannah Guthrie’s On-Air Absence: Family Strain in the Spotlight

• Notable Incident:
  • Savannah Guthrie, host of NBC's Today Show and Nancy Guthrie’s daughter, unexpectedly left the set during a major interview.
  • This public exit is linked to developments in the case, highlighting the family’s anguish.
  • Quote Lynden Blake [06:44]:
    “You’re not just walking off the set of the Today Show to go to the bathroom. That is not how this works. She had an agreement that if she came back to work, she could leave at a moment’s notice if anything was going on in the case of her missing mother.”

5. Pima County Sheriff’s Office Misstep

• Confusing Public Communication:
  • The Sheriff's Office posted about a "Nancy" being “located”—but referred to Nancy Radkovich, not Nancy Guthrie, while using a photo resembling Guthrie.
  • Blowback over the post highlights public impatience and the office's perceived lack of sensitivity.
  • Quote Lynden Blake [08:02]:
    "They were not talking about Nancy Guthrie. They were talking about Nancy Radkovich. But they are getting grilled right now with this tone deaf post... Tone deaf, amateurish, not a good look."

6. The Road Ahead

• Awaiting Results:
  • The process of analyzing rootless hair DNA is slow; results may be months away.
  • Rewards remain active for information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s recovery: 1-800-CALL-FBI.

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Cece Moore on hair DNA technology [03:47]:
  • "Hair absolutely can make the case solvable. So I'm really excited. And the fact that they sent it to the FBI is interesting to me..."
• Lynden Blake on the investigation's state [05:12]:
  • "This is another Hail Mary attempt in this investigation. But when you're on day 76, you get excited when there is a development..."
• Lynden Blake on Pima County’s misstep [08:02]:
  • “They were not talking about Nancy Guthrie. ...They are getting grilled right now with this tone deaf post... Tone deaf, amateurish, not a good look.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:31] - [01:05]: Lynden recaps the emergence of new DNA evidence and Savannah Guthrie’s public reaction.
• [01:05] - [02:42]: Detailed background on DNA evidence handling and law enforcement statements.
• [03:47] - [04:39]: Cece Moore explains the significance of rootless hair DNA and technological advances.
• [05:12]: Lynden frames the development as a critical, if uncertain, turning point.
• [06:44]: Discussion of Savannah Guthrie’s abrupt Today Show walk-off.
• [08:02]: Critique of Pima County Sheriff’s Office’s misleading social media post.

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Tone and Style

• Language: Lynden Blake maintains an investigative, urgent tone, balancing cautious optimism with realism and critique of local authorities.
• Expert Input: Cece Moore brings precise, hopeful scientific insight with clear caveats.
• Community Concern: The episode captures public expectation and frustration, especially regarding law enforcement communication.

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Conclusion

This episode of That’s So Criminal offers rare inside access and expert clarity on the Nancy Guthrie case’s latest development—the potential game-changing DNA evidence now in the FBI’s hands. While the outcome is still uncertain, the show powerfully conveys the stakes, the hope for closure, and the family’s endurance in the national spotlight. The community and investigators alike now await what science—finally applied to this critical sample—might reveal.

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Transcript

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[Lyndon Blake]

the FBI found new DNA evidence in the hunt for missing grandmother Nancy Guthrie. Sources now telling ABC News the FBI

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is now analyzing potentially critical DNA recovered

[Lyndon Blake]

from Nancy Guthrie's Tucson home. The FBI is using next generation forensic technology to untangle DNA data from a hair sample. Could this produce the long awaited break in the case? And as questions mount, today show host Savannah Guthrie suddenly walked off set during an interview with Anne Hathaway.

[Cece Moore]

Miss Anne Hathaway right here. Mother Mary herself. She has got sneak peek at her new movie.

[Lyndon Blake]

Now she's missing from Friday's show days after returning following her mother's abduction. Meanwhile, the Pima County Sheriff's office blunders yet again. I'm Lyndon Blake and you're listening to that's so criminal. That's so Criminal. It is Friday, April 17, Day 76 in the search for Nancy Guthrie. Some bombshell DNA information coming out this week. FBI confirming they're analyzing hair DNA from inside Nancy's home. So this could be related with the abductor. It could be related to Nancy. But this is a big deal because this is the same evidence that was recovered early on in the investigation. But it's been at that Florida lab. If you remember, there was the whole holdup. Why did Pima county send this DNA to this private lab in Florida? The FBI has been wanting this DNA for now more than two months and now they have it and they can use their special technology to try to figure out a profile for a suspect in Nancy Guthrie's case. Now, Pima county, when this news broke, they released a statement saying Pima County Sheriff's Department has worked with the FBI since the beginning of the Guthrie investigation. This is not new information. The private lab we utilize in Florida continues to share information with the FBI lab and other partner labs across the country. DNA analysis remains ongoing. But now we have the FBI saying no, this is new information because we finally have it. They said this is not new DNA evidence in the Nancy Guthrie case. But the FBI requested this specific material more than two months ago. The Pima County Sheriff's office sent it to a private lab in Florida. Eleven weeks later, the FBI finally has an original hair sample. They remained fully committed to this investigation. So why is hair such a big deal? Well, we know hair is used for a lot of testing. Drug testing is very accurate. With that, it's used for DNA testing. And this hair could be the breakthrough in the case. It could be nothing. But having this hair and having it at the FBI lab, that can now, quote, kind of untangle what is going on with this DNA. They can try to get a profile. Now, Cece Moore is an expert in this field. She actually spoke with Brian Enten about this DNA, and again, she wants to reiterate that this could be nothing, but she is really hopeful this could be the breakthrough in the case.

[Cece Moore]

Well, I've been really hoping that maybe they did have some hair to work with because of the more recent advancements in the field. Hair absolutely can make the case solvable. So I'm really excited. And the fact that they sent it to the FBI is interesting to me because they don't have the technology to extract snips from rootless hair. And I am assuming it's rootless hair, because if it had a root, it would be really quite straightforward, and the lab in Florida would have already done that, and maybe the case would already be solved.

[Lyndon Blake]

FBI has this new technology, this is very recent, where they can get DNA off rootless hair. Hair with a root, pretty straightforward. Hair without a root gets a little complicated.

[PureTalk Spokesperson]

I'm trying to make sure I understand you correctly.

[Lyndon Blake]

So before, when there was hair found that didn't have the root, it was just deemed to not really be that useful. And that has now changed.

[Cece Moore]

Yes. So you could get mitochondrial DNA from it. Only mitochondrial DNA can be good for helping to rule people out. It's not so good for ruling people in, because so many people share the same profile. And so it was kept in many of these cases, fortunately, but not analyzed, because there wasn't really anything to do with it genetically. Now, they might have looked at it to see if it was consistent with a suspect's hair or the victim's hair, for instance, but not any type of DNA analysis.

[Lyndon Blake]

But I want to stress this is another Hail Mary attempt in this investigation. But when you're on day 76, you get excited when there is a development, and this, again, could be a huge development if this DNA can be properly extracted and identified to a suspect in this case. But again, it just could be Nancy's hair or someone else that has been in the house before. Family members, workers. You get the picture.

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[Lyndon Blake]

DNA the hair sample is a big deal is because earlier this week on Wednesday, Savannah just up and walked off the set of the Today show. She was getting ready to interview Anne Hathaway, huge movie star. She did the tease with Ann on the set. But when the interview actually started, it was Hoda interviewing Ann and Savannah was nowhere to be found. Well, you're not just walking off the set of the Today show to go to the bathroom. That is not how this works. She had an agreement that if she came back to work, she could leave at a moment's notice if anything was going on in the case of her missing mother. So if this hair DNA news broke on Thursday, maybe it was Savannah getting the information from the FBI on Wednesday that after 11 long weeks of they finally have a hair sample, they can be using their advanced technology to try to match to a suspect in this case. Savannah also wasn't on the show today, but she wasn't there last Friday either. I'm not looking too much into that, but I am watching closely because now that Savannah's back in the public eye, she's in everyone's households every morning. You can kind of follow along and see, see when things are hopefully moving forward in the case of Nancy Guthrie. Well, we mentioned Pima county at the top of this episode and their antics are at it again, this time in a post where they say Nancy has been located. That was it. With a picture of an older lady with a located word across her face. So you just see her light brown hair, which looks a lot like Nancy Guthrie's missing photo. They were not talking about Nancy Guthrie. They were talking about Nancy Radkovich. But they are getting grilled right now with this tone deaf post. You know, the world is looking for Nancy Guthrie and they are looking to you, Pima county for answers and for leadership on this case and has been under question the entire time. But just posting that and saying Nancy has been located. Tone deaf, amateurish, not a good look. But again, very happy for Nancy Radkovich's family that she was able to be found. Nancy Guthrie, there are still rewards out over a million dollars if you have information that can lead to her recovery. The number 1-800-call FBI. It could take months now for this rootless hair DNA sample to come back. But we're going to continue to follow it, look for answers and try to bring closure to this case. I'm Lyndon Blake and you've been listening to that's so criminal. That's so Criminal.

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