Nancy Guthrie disappearance: Former FBI agent reveals amount of time likely needed for advanced DNA testing

TUCSON, Ariz. – Advanced DNA testing which combines crime scene DNA analysis and information from commercial genealogy databases could take weeks or months to process after the DNA found on a glove near Nancy Guthrie's home didn't produce a match in an FBI database, according to an expert. 

During an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said that DNA recovered from Guthrie's home, as well as a glove found near the house, wasn't a match for any records found in the FBI database known as the Combined DNA Index System. An FBI official told Fox News Digital that investigative genetic genealogy is underway in the Guthrie investigation.

Guthrie was forcibly taken from her Tucson, Arizona home in the early morning hours of February 1 and didn't leave on her own, Nanos said previously. She is still missing.

Retired FBI special agent Jason Pack told Fox News Digital that Investigative genetic genealogy is a technique used by the FBI that "combines DNA analysis from crime scenes with searching publicly available commercial genealogy databases and old-fashioned genealogy research."

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The technique is different from CODIS, as that database compares "crime scene DNA against people who have already been arrested or convicted," he added.

Pack said the investigative genetic genealogy could take several weeks up to several months in a case like this, noting it's "not a quick database check."

"Once the DNA profile is built from the glove, a genealogist builds a family tree working outward from partial matches in consumer databases like GEDmatch or FamilyTreeDNA. You are essentially reconstructing someone’s family history from distant cousins and working your way inward until you can identify a common ancestor and then narrow down to a specific individual. The timeline depends on a few variables," he said.

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Pack said the time it takes to complete investigative genetic genealogy depends on several factors, such as the number of relatives who have submitted consumer DNA tests and how clean a DNA sample is. The less participation in commercial DNA testing by a suspect's family, Pack says, the more time the process takes.

A spokesperson for Othram, which conducts investigative genetic genealogy, told Fox News Digital that the amount of time needed to find a match depends on several factors, but it could be done in a fairly quick process.

"It took 48 hours for Kohberger. It took 24 hours to create a profile. Now we've created software to do it faster. Genealogy for the Kohberger case was very quick," the spokesperson said.

The technique was used to catch the Golden State Killer in 2018, who killed at least 13 people and sexually assaulted another 50 women after investigators uploaded DNA found at the crime scene to a genecology database and found a distant cousin. The distant cousin was used to build a family tree, which eventually led investigators to Joseph DeAngelo.

In an emotional video released Sunday, NBC "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie said, "it is never too late to do the right thing".

"I just wanted to come on and say that we still have hope and we still believe. And I wanted to say to whoever has her or knows where she is. It's never too late. And you're not lost or alone," Guthrie said. "We believe in the essential goodness of every human being. And it's never too late."

Nancy Guthrie disappearance timeline: 
Jan. 31, 2026
• Between 9:30–9:45 p.m. – Family drops Nancy off at home
• 9:50 p.m. – Garage door closes (per authorities)
Feb. 1, 2026
• 1:47 a.m. – Doorbell camera disconnects
• 2:12 a.m. – Security camera detects motion
• 2:28 a.m. – Pacemaker disconnects from phone application
• 11:56 a.m. – Family checks on Nancy after she misses weekly church livestream gathering
• 12:03 p.m. — 911 called
• 12:15 p.m. — Sheriff’s deputies arrive at home