Savannah Guthrie has returned to public work while federal agents analyze DNA and hair recovered from her mother Nancy Guthrie's Tucson residence, sources said.
The FBI recently received material that a private Florida lab had been processing for the Pima County Sheriff's Department and is using advanced testing to try to isolate usable profiles, ABC News and other outlets reported.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said investigators believe some DNA at the scene may be a mixture from more than one person and that separating strands will take time, according to reporting that summarized the sheriff's comments to community groups.
Authorities previously confirmed that blood found on the porch belonged to Nancy Guthrie, and they said DNA from a glove recovered about two miles from the home pointed to an unknown male who had no matches in CODIS, the FBI's database, according to agency statements.
Investigation Developments And Reactions
The case remains a multiagency effort with local investigators and the FBI continuing forensic work and scene searches, and multiple labs reportedly assisting to untangle mixed DNA evidence.
An FBI official told ABC News the bureau was recently sent an original hair sample for testing after it had been with a Florida lab, and that laboratory transfers have been part of the probe.
Investigators have released doorbell camera images showing a masked, armed individual outside the residence the night Nancy Guthrie vanished, and FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is examining persons of interest, according to reporting.
Authorities detained a person for questioning following a traffic stop near Rio Rico and executed a search warrant at a home there, CNN reported, though that individual was later released and has not been charged, law enforcement said.
The family and law enforcement have urged the public to submit only actionable tips through official channels, FBI Phoenix noted, and several rewards are in place, including an offer from the FBI and a family pledge for the recovery of Nancy Guthrie, outlets reported.
Savannah Guthrie has spoken publicly about the family's search and appeared briefly off air during a live broadcast, which one report described as a routine segment change, and she has apologized publicly if she thinks she played any part in the events, according to her interview comments published by media outlets.
