"The strategy could be fruitful: If unidentified DNA evidence can be connected to someone - even a distant relative - in a common genealogy database, it would give investigators more information and possibly lead to a suspect in Guthrie's kidnapping in Arizona. "It's a fantastic tool," said Ruth Ballard, a geneticist in California who specializes in DNA and has testified in hundreds of court cases. "If it's a good quality sample and they're able to get a profile, they could find a hit on that fairly quickly.""
"The sheriff's department in Pima County, Arizona, said DNA collected so far in the investigation has not turned up any matches in a national criminal justice database known as CODIS, which has DNA profiles from convicted criminals and, in some states, people arrested for certain crimes. "Investigators are currently looking into additional investigative genetic genealogy options for DNA evidence to check for matches. CODIS is one option of many databases that are available," the sheriff's department said Tuesday. The department said Wednesday that biological evidence from Guthrie's Tucson-area home was being examined and that DNA profiles were at a lab for analysis."
"Genealogy sites Ancestry, 23andMe and MyHeritage say they can be asked to comply with court orders seeking information. Another site, GEDmatch, said its policy is to ask users if they want to opt in to allow police to look at their data."
Investigators may use genetic genealogy databases to link unidentified DNA evidence to distant relatives and develop investigative leads in Nancy Guthrie's disappearance. DNA collected so far has not produced matches in the national criminal justice database CODIS. Biological evidence from Guthrie's Tucson-area home is under examination and DNA profiles are being analyzed at a laboratory. Gloves found about two miles away appear to match gloves worn by a masked suspect captured on a porch camera. Genealogy companies have differing policies on law enforcement access: some can be subject to court orders while GEDmatch seeks user opt-in. Similar methods helped solve past cold cases in California and fatal stabbings in Idaho.
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