Pima County sheriff warns in NBC interview DNA tech issues in Nancy Guthrie case may take ‘months’ to resolve

Investigators successful the Nancy Guthrie missing persons lawsuit are not looking into immoderate caller names, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said, amid challenges with mixed DNA recovered astatine the 84-year-old's Arizona location astatine the laboratory his bureau is using. 

"In presumption of leads and moving and getting retired there, I deliberation that's inactive growing, yeah," Nanos said of the probe during an interrogation with "NBC Nightly News" that aired Saturday. 

The sheriff's remarks ran antagonistic to statements from section businesses astir however they’ve been shown a database of names and images by the FBI. 

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Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson location successful the aboriginal greeting hours of Feb. 1, with investigators treating the lawsuit arsenic an evident abduction. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said nary caller names were being looked astatine successful the lawsuit and hinted astatine technological challenges related to DNA.  (Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images; Courtesy of NBC)

It’s besides unclear whether the DNA recovered wrong Guthrie's has been utile for the investigation. Nanos said the samples are mixed, meaning they incorporate DNA from much than 1 person, making it harder to tally done nationalist databases.

"Our laboratory tells america that determination are challenges with it," Nanos said of the Florida laboratory his cause is using. "The exertion is moving truthful accelerated and successful specified a frenzy that they deliberation immoderate of this worldly volition resoluteness itself conscionable successful a substance of weeks, months, oregon possibly a year."

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Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos speaks to the media successful Catalina, Ariz., Feb. 3, portion answering questions astir the hunt for Nancy Guthrie. (Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images)

The sheriff noted that investigators were inactive moving different avenues of the weeks-long probe into Guthrie's abduction. 

"I deliberation we're getting a small person to identifying immoderate of the different articles, not conscionable that backpack. Like the shoes, the pants, the garment oregon jacket," helium said. 

Guthrie was past seen connected the nighttime of Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, aft being dropped disconnected astatine her location successful the Catalina Foothills country adjacent Tucson. 

"Today" big Savannah Guthrie, right, with her mother, Nancy Guthrie. (Don Arnold/WireImage)

"It's ne'er accelerated capable for the Sheriff," Nanos said of the disapproval of his bureau weeks aft Gutherie's disappearance, with nary arrests made. "I privation it similar you. Come on, guys, let's go. Let's go, fto america find her. But the world is, I besides cognize that sometimes things instrumentality time."

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"We're not quitting," helium added. "We'll find her."

Fox News Digital's Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.