Lab behind Gilgo Beach killer conviction believed to be involved in Nancy Guthrie abduction case
A San Francisco forensics lab that helped crack the Long Island serial killer case is now believed to be involved in the search for answers after the suspected abduction of Nancy Guthrie in Tucson, Arizona.
Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann, who admitted to killing eight women between 1993 and 2010, pleaded guilty earlier this month after his defense failed to overcome groundbreaking DNA evidence collected from rootless hair samples.
"I am pretty confident that they will want to use the lab that they have been extremely successful with, which is Astrea," said CeCe Moore, one of the nation's leading genetic genealogists at Parabon Nanolabs in Virginia. "DLI has been working to refine their own rootless hair analysis, but I haven't seen any successful cases from them yet."
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She was referring to DNA Labs International, the Florida lab that the Pima County Sheriff's Department initially sent the samples to in the days after Guthrie's suspected abduction.
Now that the FBI has the materials, Astrea Forensics could be on the shortlist of specialized private labs that could help.
The lab developed a DNA profile from rootless hair evidence in the Heuermann case, and Moore said she's personally been involved in six successful cases in which Astrea did similar work.
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"The FBI used them for the Gilgo case," she told Fox News Digital. "So they have a lot of confidence in Astrea."
An FBI official told Fox News Digital on Thursday that among the evidence collected from inside Guthrie's home is a hair sample that had been sent to a private lab in Florida by the Pima County Sheriff's Department in the days after her suspected kidnapping.
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"If there’s a chance they can solve Nancy’s case through this lab, I believe without question it should be sent there," said Allison Winter, a social worker and psychotherapist who has been working with the Heuermann family.
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Now, with no answers more than 11 weeks later, the sample has been sent to the FBI for more advanced testing.
"Sending it to Astrea, where there is a proven track record, is by far the safest option," Moore told Fox News Digital.
The FBI had wanted the sample more than two months ago, according to Ben Williamson, who is assistant director of public affairs at the FBI.
"This is not new evidence or information," he wrote on X Monday. "FBI asked to test this DNA 2 months ago with the same technology we’ve always had — when the local sheriff instead sent it to a private lab. Any further developments we will share as soon as appropriate."
Fox News Digital reached out to Astrea but did not immediately receive a response.
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Anyone with information on Guthrie's disappearance is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
There is a combined reward of more than $1.2 million for information in the case.