The FBI says a glove containing DNA was found about three kilometres from the home of US television news show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother and appears to match those worn by a masked person outside her front door the night she vanished.
The glove, found in a field near the side of the road, was sent off for DNA testing. The FBI said in a statement it has received preliminary results and is awaiting official confirmation.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her Arizona home on January 31 and was reported missing the following day.
Authorities say her blood was found on the front porch. Purported ransom notes were sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for paying have passed.
Approximately 16 gloves were found in various spots near the house, most of which were searchers’ gloves that had been discarded, the FBI said.
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The discovery was revealed days after investigators had released surveillance videos of the masked person outside Guthrie’s front door. A porch camera recorded video of a person with a backpack who was wearing a ski mask, long pants, a jacket and gloves.
The FBI has described the suspect as a man about 5 feet, 9 inches (180 centimetres) tall with a medium build. The agency said he was carrying a 25-litre Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.
Authorities have expressed concern about Nancy Guthrie’s health because she needs vital daily medicine. She is said to have a pacemaker and to have dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.
