Retired homicide detective says DNA found inside Guthrie home offers strongest lead | WATCH

NEW YORK - Investigators searching for Nancy Guthrie are focusing on two critical pieces of evidence as the case stretches beyond two weeks.

Latest in the search:

DNA recovered inside Guthrie’s home and from a glove found about two miles from the scene has been turned over to the FBI for analysis, authorities said.

Retired homicide detective Jon Buehler discussed the developments on Good Day New York, saying he was not surprised by the initial DNA findings tied to the glove.

"I didn’t really expect much with the glove," Buehler said. "I didn’t see, from my experience level, how you could really connect that glove to the foreign DNA that was found in the house."

Watch the full interview with retired homicide detective Jon Buehler on Good Day New York in the video above.

DNA collected inside home 

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Buehler said the DNA collected inside the home is more significant.

"The DNA in the house is the one thing that I would be hopeful for," he said. "Now, everything that we heard so far is it’s not in CODIS, so the guy doesn’t have, apparently, a requirement to put his DNA into that system."

Even if a suspect has a prior criminal history, DNA is not always entered into the national database known as CODIS, he noted. However, Buehler said investigators could turn to genealogical databases for potential leads.

"The mere fact that he’s in there, and they can compare it with maybe family members that went into the genealogical sites and did it for recreational purposes, I’m hoping that something will come from that working backwards," he said.

Accessing consumer DNA sites may require legal steps, depending on the company, Buehler added.

Was this a burglary or a kidnapping?

What they're saying:

Investigators have released limited details about the case, which Buehler said makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions. He questioned whether the circumstances point to a true ransom kidnapping.

"The mere fact that we don’t have a ransom note that has a photo, a recent photo of Nancy attached to it, makes me skeptical about a lot of these things," he said. "Because they only give out so much information … it’s difficult for us to draw conclusions and come up with some ideas on what they’re doing."

‘If I went to do a burglary, I’d have an empty backpack so I can put stuff in it'

Authorities are also examining a backpack seen in surveillance footage. The backpack is believed to be a type sold exclusively at Walmart.

Buehler said investigators have likely already reviewed store surveillance footage and purchase records.

"If you go into Walmart and you make a purchase at the self-serve, they’re going to have a photo of your face. It’s going to be on there," he said, noting that video retention policies could affect whether the footage is still available.

He also questioned whether the suspect’s backpack suggests burglary.

"The mere fact that you see the guy walking around in the camera view at the front of the house with the backpack and the fact that it looks full suggests to me that he probably wasn’t there to do a burglary," Buehler said. "Because if I went to do a burglary, I’d have an empty backpack so I can put stuff in it."

‘Kidnappings are rare’

As the case continues, Buehler said ransom kidnappings are rare in the United States.

"A ransom kidnapping in the United States is a fairly rare crime," he said. "An actual kidnap, like you’ll see in a movie or something like that, where they have a ransom demand and they have a photo of the victim restrained, these things are really rare in domestic law enforcement."

Where is the proof?

While reports have circulated about possible ransom communications, Buehler urged caution.

"Without some solid proof that Nancy is fine and you know what you’re paying for, it’s really difficult to honor a reward," he said.

Authorities have not publicly confirmed the authenticity of any ransom demand. 

The investigation remains ongoing.