Sheriff Says Nancy Guthrie Investigation Is ‘Still Growing’

As the investigation into Nancy Guthrie reached three weeks, the Arizona sheriff involved in the case said that the case is “still growing” in size.

Officials said that Guthrie, the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, went missing on Jan. 31 and was reported missing to authorities on Feb. 1. So far, there have been no arrests made, no suspects named, and the woman hasn’t been located.

When asked by an NBC interviewer on Saturday about whether the investigation is “growing or shrinking,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said that “in terms of leads and working … I think that’s still growing.”

Later, Nanos vowed that the sheriff’s office is “not quitting” while adding, “We’ll find her.”

Nanos said officials may be closer to identifying articles of clothing that were worn by a masked individual seen at the woman’s house around the time she disappeared.

“I think we’re getting a little closer to identifying some of the other articles, not just that backpack. Like the shoes, the pants, the shirt or jacket,” he said, referring to a 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker backpack that was recovered in connection to the disappearance case. Officials previously said that the product was only sold at Walmart.

Earlier this month, the FBI released video footage and images of a masked male wearing gloves on the porch of Nancy Guthrie’s home around the time she went missing, which were captured through a Google Nest camera. Officials described the subject as having a medium build and between 5 feet, 9 inches and 5 feet, 10 inches tall.

Nanos has stated investigators believe the woman was taken in the middle of the night. They’ve also said she suffers from mobility issues and needs medication to live.

A crime scene was discovered at the woman’s Tucson-area home, officials say, with evidence suggesting she was taken against her will. Blood that was found at the home were later confirmed to be  Nancy Guthrie’s, Nanos previously said, and he later said that DNA samples that were obtained from gloves that were recovered did not produce a match in the FBI’s database.

In the Saturday interview, the sheriff said that mixed DNA samples that were discovered in the case have created challenges for investigators.

“Our lab tells us that there are challenges with it,” Nanos told NBC. “The technology is moving so fast and in such a frenzy that they think some of this stuff will resolve itself just in a matter of weeks, months, or maybe a year.”

Savannah Guthrie posted an Instagram video last week in which she appealed to anyone with information about what happened to her mother to contact the relevant authorities.

“It is never too late to do the right thing,” she said. “And we are here. And we believe in the essential goodness of every human being, that it’s never too late.”

The sheriff’s office last week said that members of Nancy Guthrie’s family, including siblings and spouses, are not suspects.

“The family has been nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case,” Nanos said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.