FBI Tracking 40 People on Mysterious List in Nancy Guthrie Case: Report

The FBI is actively investigating a list of 40 individuals, complete with pictures, by showing them to gun stores in the Tucson area. This indicates a focused effort to identify potential suspects with connections to firearms. Concurrently, the suspect's clothing and a specific backpack are being traced to Walmart, with the backpack being a crucial lead due to its exclusivity to the retailer. Law enforcement is collaborating directly with Walmart management to identify the individual who purchased the backpack, suggesting a detailed forensic retail investigation.

Reporter Brian Enton of NewsNation reported agents went to gun stores with a list of 40 people (01:50). The Pima County Sheriff confirmed canvassing businesses with doorbell video (02:17). The suspect's backpack is an item 'only find at Walmart' (03:08), and law enforcement is 'working with Walmart management to identify and isolate the individual who purchased the backpack' (03:21).

The Pima County Sheriff's Department has definitively cleared Nancy Guthrie's family, including all siblings and spouses, as suspects in her disappearance. The sheriff publicly stated that the family was cleared within the first few days of the investigation, was fully cooperative, and should be considered victims. This public statement aims to counter speculation and redirect investigative focus, emphasizing the thoroughness of their initial family investigation, which included processing phones, computers, vehicles, and homes.

The sheriff stated, 'To be clear, the Guthrie family, to include all siblings and spouses, has been cleared as possible suspects in this case.' (06:31). He further explained they 'talked to them. We took their phones. We took their computers. I mean, we did everything. We processed their vehicles. We processed their homes.' (08:31).

While DNA from gloves found near Nancy Guthrie's home did not yield a match in the FBI's CODIS database, additional DNA evidence discovered at her residence is undergoing analysis. An expert noted that a CODIS non-match is not definitive, as the database represents only a small portion of the population. The expert also cautioned against placing too much hope on general DNA evidence from a residence, as DNA can persist for extended periods from various individuals who have entered the home, making it 'dirty' with multiple profiles.

The glove DNA 'didn't match DNA profiles in the FBI database called COTUS' (00:56). The Pima County Sheriff stated 'additional DNA evidence was found at the residence and that is also being examined' (02:23). Retired detective Lisa Miller explained CODIS is a 'very small portion of the population' (19:40) and that DNA in a home can last for an 'extended period of time' from 'thousands of skin cells' (21:26).

A retired FBI special agent, Dan Bruner, argued that the public release of the doorbell camera video showing the masked suspect was a 'mistake.' He contended that it gave the criminal an advantage by alerting them to dispose of crucial evidence like the backpack, mask, jacket, and gun, which would have been valuable for prosecution. Furthermore, the release led to an overwhelming influx of 40,000-50,000 tips, inundating investigators and creating 'an inordinate amount of extra work' that could have been avoided if law enforcement had more time to analyze the evidence and issue a more targeted description.

Retired FBI special agent Dan Bruner stated he believes 'it was a mistake to make this video public when it went public' (11:25). He explained it gave the 'advantage back to the criminal' (11:50) to 'get rid of the backpack. Get rid of the face mask. Get rid of the jacket. get rid of the gun.' (11:57). He also noted the '14,000 tips' (12:50) that 'inundating the FBI' (12:55).