The investigation into the killing of Nancy Guthrie has taken a dramatic turn — and it’s one that could quietly close in on a suspect who thought he had vanished without a trace. Authorities confirmed that DNA recovered from a glove discovered roughly two miles from Guthrie’s home was processed through Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). The result? No match across more than 19 million criminal offender profiles. At first glance, that might seem like a dead end. But investigators say it’s anything but.
The absence of a CODIS hit simply means the individual has likely never been convicted of — or required to submit DNA for — a qualifying offense. It does not mean he is invisible. In fact, law enforcement officials are now turning to a powerful tool that has transformed modern cold cases: forensic genetic genealogy.
Using advanced analysis, FBI specialists are reportedly building out a family tree from the DNA profile left behind. By comparing crime-scene DNA to profiles voluntarily uploaded to public genealogy databases, analysts can identify distant relatives — sometimes as far out as third or fourth cousins. From there, family trees are mapped, branches narrowed, ages cross-referenced, locations examined. The pool shrinks.
It’s the same investigative strategy that led to the arrest of Joseph James DeAngelo, decades after the crimes attributed to the Golden State Killer case terrorized California. One relative’s DNA submission was enough to unravel a 40-year mystery.
Now, investigators believe the same science could bring answers in Nancy Guthrie’s case.
All it may take is a single relative — perhaps unaware, perhaps simply curious about ancestry — who uploaded their DNA to a public database years ago. One shared strand. One genetic breadcrumb. And suddenly, a name emerges from statistical probability. Officials caution that forensic genealogy is a meticulous process, often taking months as analysts verify connections and gather corroborating evidence. DNA alone does not convict — it points. Detectives must still build a prosecutable case through surveillance, interviews, and additional forensic confirmation. But the message from investigators is clear: the suspect’s biggest mistake may already be sealed in his own biology.
CODIS may have come back empty. But his DNA still carries his family’s story — and somewhere in that story, his identity waits to be uncovered.