Nancy Guthrie DNA Evidence Sent to Lab That Cracked the Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Case, Expert Says

DNA evidence recovered from the home of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC's Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, is now believed to be heading to the same San Francisco forensics laboratory that helped convict Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann, a leading genetic genealogist has said.

Astrea Forensics and the Gilgo Beach Connection

CeCe Moore, one of the country's top genetic genealogists at Parabon Nanolabs in Virginia, told Fox News Digital she is confident the FBI will turn to Astrea Forensics to analyse evidence from the case. 'I am pretty confident that they will want to use the lab that they have been extremely successful with, which is Astrea,' Moore said. 'Sending it to Astrea, where there is a proven track record, is by far the safest option.'

Astrea Forensics specialises in whole genome sequencing, a process that can extract nuclear DNA from degraded or rootless hair samples. The lab developed a DNA profile from rootless hair found on six of Heuermann's victims, evidence so strong that the Long Island architect pleaded guilty on 8 April 2026 to murdering eight women between 1993 and 2010. Moore said she has personally worked on six successful cases in which the lab produced similar results.

Why the Hair Matters

Investigators recovered a hair sample from Guthrie's Catalina Foothills home after she vanished on 1 February 2026. The Pima County Sheriff's Department initially sent the evidence to DNA Labs International (DLI), a private Florida laboratory it routinely contracts. Eleven weeks later, that lab transferred the original hair sample to the FBI Laboratory for more advanced testing.

Moore was blunt about DLI's limitations. 'DLI has been working to refine their own rootless hair analysis, but I haven't seen any successful cases from them yet,' she told Fox News Digital. The FBI had requested the sample more than two months earlier.

FBI Assistant Director for Public Affairs Ben Williamson confirmed the timeline on X, writing that the bureau 'asked to test this DNA 2 months ago with the same technology we've always had' before the local sheriff sent it to a private lab instead.

A Mixed Sample and a Long Wait

The DNA recovered from Guthrie's home presents an added challenge. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said the sample is 'mixed', containing genetic material from more than one contributor, including at least one male. Nanos told a local Neighbourhood Watch group that separating those strands could take up to six additional months.

At least five laboratories across the country are now simultaneously working on forensic evidence from the case, and roughly two dozen Pima County and FBI investigators remain actively assigned.

Over Three Months, No Suspect

Guthrie's pacemaker lost connection to her smartphone at 2:28 a.m. on 1 February, just minutes after her Nest doorbell camera went offline at 1:47 a.m. Blood found on her front porch was confirmed as hers. Gloves discovered roughly two miles from the home did not match any profile in the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database or any DNA collected from inside the residence. No suspect has been publicly named, identified, or charged. All family members have been cleared.

The Guthrie family is offering $1 million (£739,000) for information leading to Nancy's recovery, bringing the combined reward to more than $1.2 million (£887,000). As the investigation enters its fourth month, the question is whether the same forensic science that put Rex Heuermann behind bars can do what thousands of tips and dozens of investigators have not.

Anyone with information is urged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or the Pima County Sheriff's Department tip line at 520-351-4900.