Reason it could still take weeks to identify Nancy

Police investigating the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie have confirmed they’re analysing “partial DNA” discovered at her dwelling, the place she was kidnapped on February 1.

CeCe Moore, chief genetic genealogist at Parabon, a Virginia lab specialising in forensic family tree, said the presence of blended DNA makes the case more complicated, though she stays “extremely hopeful. The fact that it may be a [DNA] mixture, to me, is even more compelling, because that is so common in violent crimes, and we know there was some type of altercation that caused Nancy to bleed,” Moore told NBC News.

DNA expert Ruth Ballard, based in California, added: “It’s a improbable tool.” Drawing on her experience testifying in hundreds of court cases, she said: “If it’s a superb high quality pattern they usually’re in a position to get a profile, they could discover a hit on that pretty rapidly,” as reported by AP.

Genetic genealogy, which links DNA to family history records, has helped solve some of the nation’s most high-profile cases. It played a key role in catching the Golden State Killer in 2018 and led to the arrest of Bryan Kohberger in connection with the 2022 University of Idaho murders.

The process can take time. Moore explained that investigators first create a genetic profile before bioinformatics experts isolate a suspect’s DNA. Once separated, it can be checked against CODIS, the FBI’s DNA database, or used in genealogy searches, Nanos said.

“If the individual of curiosity, in this case, has deep roots in the U.S. and is a white individual, they could be recognized in minutes or hours,” Moore said. She added that the process takes longer for individuals with recent immigrant ancestry or those born outside the U.S., because these groups are less represented in genealogy databases.

Moore pointed to Kohberger’s case as an example, saying tracing him took several weeks due to his recent Italian ancestry, showing how family history can slow even high-profile investigations.

Ballard said the source and quality of DNA evidence are key factors in finding matches on genealogical sites. “It does require a a lot better pattern than CODIS looking out does,” she said.

So far, investigators haven’t discovered any matches in CODIS, the national felony justice database containing DNA profiles from convicted offenders and, in some states, people arrested for sure crimes.