Nancy Guthrie Case: Sheriff’s Department Releases Statement On Latest Physical Evidence

Law enforcement is clarifying the status of newly examined physical evidence as the Nancy Guthrie investigation moves into its next phase. Law enforcement officers at the scene of the Nancy Guthrie investigation.

Key Points

Authorities found no viable leads from backpack evidence in the Nancy Guthrie case.
It is believed that the backpack had no connection to the case and is a different brand from the one the suspect was seen wearing.
DNA from a black glove and inside her home yielded no matches.

As the search for Nancy Guthrie has continued into another week, the authorities are still looking for any leads that could help them find Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother. As observers have also been following the case from afar, there has been a lot of interest in any physical evidence found in connection with the case. Now, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department has issued a discouraging update on the most recent potential evidence.

Sheriff’s Department Clarifies Backpack Evidence in Nancy Guthrie Case

Catherine Lopez holds black backpack discovered by volunteers in Tucson culvert while searching for clues in Nancy Guthrie disappearance case, February 22, 2026.
Catherine Lopez carries a backpack she found in a culvert while volunteering in the search for Nancy Guthrie near her Tucson home. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

On February 23, 2026, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department released a statement on the status of an investigation into a backpack found near Nancy Guthrie’s home. A spokesperson revealed that after examination, the item appeared to be a dead end in the kidnapping probe. “After reviewing the bag and its contents, it does not appear that this is a viable lead for the investigation.”

The Authorities provided three reasons why the backpack won’t advance the search for Guthrie. First, it doesn’t appear to be the same brand as the one the suspect was seen wearing in the doorbell camera footage. Second, it “appears to have been outside for much longer than three weeks.” Finally, a piece of identification found inside it was linked to a minor.

Volunteers discovered the backpack while searching the area near Nancy Guthrie’s home, and it was handed over to a deputy upon its discovery. On February 12, 2026, the FBI office in Phoenix released information about the backpack that the suspect is believed to be wearing in the doorbell camera footage. It is a 25-liter black Ozark Trail-brand backpack that is sold exclusively at Walmart.

Other Physical Evidence Also Yielded No Breakthroughs

Masked suspect in gloves seen on Nancy Guthrie's doorbell cam footage, Arizona kidnapping.
An image from the doorbell camera footage of the suspect in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case. (Photo by Pima County Sheriff’s Department/Anadolu via Getty Images) ‘PIMA COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT / HANDOUT’ – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

The backpack isn’t the only recent lead that has fizzled out. A black glove that was recovered about two miles from Nancy Guthrie’s home didn’t help authorities identify who might have taken her. While speaking to Fox News, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos stated that DNA taken from the recovered glove didn’t lead to a hit when tested against the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database.

“The DNA on the glove that was found two miles away was submitted for CODIS, and I just heard that CODIS had no hits.”

Nanos also told the outlet that DNA evidence found inside Nancy Guthrie’s home didn’t lead to a match either.

“There’s no match to the DNA at the house.”