Blood-Stained Gloves Found Near Nancy Guthrie's Home as Investigators May Scale Back Search, Insiders Say
As the search for Nancy Guthrie nears four weeks, suspicious gloves surfaced and officials may reduce resources.
Feb. 21 2026, Published 12:10 p.m. ET
New potential evidence has surfaced in the ongoing search for Nancy Guthrie, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
This comes as sources say the massive investigation into her disappearance could soon enter a new phase.
Bloody Glove Found in Desert
Blood-stained gloves were reportedly discovered about a mile from Nancy Guthrie's Tucson home.
The 84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie was reported missing on January 31 from her home in Tucson's Catalina Foothills.
Three weeks later, authorities are still working around the clock, but insiders told ABC News the case may soon transition to a long-term, scaled-back operation.
According to KVOA, an Arizona couple discovered what appeared to be blood-stained black gloves in the desert roughly a mile from Nancy's home on February 11.
"Sure enough, it was a black glove in the desert. It appeared to have looked like it was ripped. It also appeared to look like it had blood on it. There was two different colors. The blood was more towards the wrist side of the glove and on the pointer finger, it looked like it was ripped," the couple told the outlet.
The gloves were reportedly found about 10 feet apart off Campbell Avenue. One of them appeared to be resting on a rock that had what looked like a dried droplet of blood beneath it.
"And also from the glove it looked like a blood drop on a rock underneath the glove was like dried blood or something. We didn't move it or touch it. We immediately were like, we have to do something. So I was like I will call the sheriff department," the husband said.
Investigators responded to the scene and questioned the couple before allowing them to leave. Officials remained in the area until approximately 2 a.m., according to the local report.
"It didn't just look like a regular glove. It looked like this was a glove used for something that could've possibly been what they were looking for," the wife added.
Multiple Gloves Found Near Nancy Guthrie's Home
The gloves appeared ripped and had what witnesses described as two different shades of blood.
Authorities have previously confirmed that multiple gloves have been recovered in the area, possibly similar to those worn by an unidentified masked suspect seen outside Nancy's home the morning she vanished.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department declined to confirm whether the newly discovered gloves are among those being analyzed for DNA.
"We cannot confirm at this time. Detectives and agents have collected multiple gloves from the area, and analysis is part of the investigation," the department said.
DNA collected from other gloves has not matched anything in the FBI database. Authorities have also confirmed that DNA recovered from a glove differs from DNA found inside Nancy's home. No suspects or persons of interest have been publicly identified.
Investigation May Enter 'Long-Term' Phase
One glove was found resting on a rock with what looked like a dried blood droplet beneath it.
While nearly 400 investigators have been assigned to the case and are operating 24/7, insiders told ABC News that the lack of recent breakthroughs could soon prompt a shift in strategy.
Partial DNA recovered at Nancy's home remains unidentified. Law enforcement sources said no additional video has been retrieved from home security systems, and investigators have not been able to associate a vehicle with her reported abduction.
Sources said the Guthrie family has been briefed on the possibility that the investigation may transition to a smaller, long-term task force model.
"It has been over two weeks, and, in these types of investigations, you have to at one point move on to a long-term sustainable level of manpower," said ABC News contributor Rich Frankel, who previously oversaw hostage negotiations at the FBI. "It is not a closed case."
'Active Investigation'
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Nearly 400 investigators have been working the case since Nancy vanished on January 31.
In a statement, the Pima County Sheriff's Department stressed that the case remains active.
"This remains an active investigation. As long as leads continue to come in, investigators will continue to follow up on them. Currently, several hundred personnel are assigned to this case from various law enforcement agencies and are actively reviewing thousands of tips," it read.
Former FBI agent Jason Pack echoed that public perception often differs from investigative reality.
"The things most likely to break a case open are almost never the things being discussed in one-on-one press interviews," Jason said. "They are happening in labs, in Walmart security offices, in gun shops, in backend server logs, and in conversations between investigators who have been staring at the same timeline long enough that it might be time for a fresh set of eyes."
As the search approaches its third week, authorities continue to urge anyone with information to come forward.
