Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos held an emotional and unusually candid press conference on February 18, 2026, where he publicly acknowledged serious shortcomings in the investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie while simultaneously unveiling what he called “the most significant piece of physical evidence recovered to date” — a potential smoking gun that investigators believe could lead directly to her abductor and possibly her current location.

Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Catalina Foothills home in Tucson sometime between the late evening of January 31 and the early morning of February 1. Family members dropped her off after a gathering; she failed to attend church the next morning. A welfare check around noon on February 1 revealed blood on the front porch — later confirmed through DNA as belonging to Nancy — prompting immediate classification as a kidnapping. Enhanced FBI-recovered footage from her Nest doorbell camera shows a masked male suspect, estimated 5’9″–5’10” with an average build, wearing dark clothing and black gloves, tampering with the camera at 1:47 a.m. and disabling her pacemaker monitoring app at 2:28 a.m.

For nearly three weeks the case has been dogged by criticism: slow release of key footage, perceived delays in processing forensic items, conflicting statements about persons of interest, and the lack of any confirmed sighting or ransom contact despite multiple Bitcoin-demand notes sent to media outlets. Public frustration reached a boiling point after the February 13 SWAT operation near East Orange Grove Road — which resulted in a silver Range Rover being towed and three individuals detained and released — produced no arrests and yielded little public explanation.

In his press conference, Sheriff Nanos directly addressed the mounting criticism. “I will not stand here and pretend this investigation has been flawless,” he said. “There have been delays in evidence processing, miscommunications between agencies, and moments where we moved too slowly. The public has every right to be angry and impatient — I am impatient. Nancy Guthrie is someone’s mother, grandmother, and she deserves better than what we’ve delivered so far. For that, on behalf of this department, I apologize.”

He then shifted to what he described as a turning point. On February 17, forensic teams completed analysis of a small, partially buried plastic evidence bag recovered from the same drainage wash where the black gloves were found 1.5 miles from Nancy’s home. Inside the bag — which appeared to have been hastily discarded and covered with loose soil — investigators discovered a blood-stained cloth, believed to be a torn section of clothing or a towel, bearing DNA that matches Nancy Guthrie’s profile. Crucially, the cloth also contained a second DNA profile — male, unknown, not previously identified in any database or elimination sample from the scene.

Sheriff Nanos called this dual-DNA item “the smoking gun we have been waiting for.” The blood-stained cloth, he explained, suggests it was used either to control Nancy during removal or to clean a wound inflicted during the struggle on the porch. The presence of a second male profile — deposited through sweat, skin cells, or saliva — provides a direct genetic link to the perpetrator that can be compared against any future suspect or existing persons of interest. The bag itself is being examined for fingerprints, fibers, soil composition, and microscopic particulates that could pinpoint where it was carried from or discarded.

The sheriff emphasized that the item was not overlooked — it was collected during the expanded search of the wash on February 10 but took time to process due to lab backlog and the need for specialized mitochondrial DNA sequencing to separate the profiles cleanly. “We should have moved faster,” Nanos admitted. “That is on us. But we have it now, and we are moving heaven and earth to turn this evidence into an arrest.”

He also addressed speculation surrounding the silver Range Rover towed during the February 13 operation. While declining to name the registered owner or any individuals previously detained, Nanos confirmed the vehicle remains in evidence and is undergoing intensive forensic examination, including vacuuming for trace DNA, hair, fibers, and soil particles that could match the wash site or Nancy’s residence. Phone records and financial documents related to the vehicle’s owner are also under active review.

Nancy’s medical vulnerability remains the most urgent factor. Dependent on daily heart medications and a pacemaker, prolonged absence without care significantly reduces her chances of survival. Savannah Guthrie has repeatedly refused to negotiate ransom demands without verifiable proof of life, stating publicly: “We will not play games with my mother’s life. If anyone has information — any information — please come forward now.”

The sheriff concluded by renewing the FBI’s $100,000 reward for information leading to Nancy’s location or the arrest and conviction of those responsible, and urged the public to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or local tip lines with any credible leads. He also promised greater transparency moving forward, including regular updates even when no major developments occur.

The press conference drew immediate reaction. Online communities following the case expressed a mix of cautious hope and lingering anger over earlier delays. Supporters of the Guthrie family praised the sheriff’s candor, while critics questioned why such a potentially pivotal item took more than two weeks to analyze fully. Forensic experts noted that dual-DNA evidence on a discarded item is among the strongest leads possible in a kidnapping case without recovered remains or direct witnesses.

For the Guthrie siblings — Savannah, Camron, and Annie — the revelation brings a fragile glimmer of progress amid unrelenting pain. Savannah reposted the sheriff’s conference clip with a single line: “We are still hoping. We are still fighting. Thank you to everyone who hasn’t stopped looking.”

As the investigation enters its third week, the blood-stained cloth and its unknown male DNA profile stand as the most concrete physical link to Nancy’s abductor yet recovered. Whether it will lead to an arrest, a rescue, or merely another frustrating dead end remains unknown. What is certain is that time is running out — and a sheriff who once defended every step now admits the case has been far from perfect, but insists the most important piece of evidence is finally in hand.