Sat, February 28, 2026
Key takeaways
- Authorities are considering analyzing cell phone tower data to help identify and track the suspect in Nancy Guthrie's abduction.
- Despite emerging evidence, including footage of a suspect, no arrests have been made in the nearly month-long search for Nancy Guthrie's kidnapper.
- Investigators are planning to use genetic genealogy as a last resort to match a DNA sample with a person in the search for Nancy Guthrie, after recent DNA testing yielded no matches in the FBI's database.
Nancy Guthrie's abductor continues to remain elusive, but an expert has claimed that a method used to capture Bryan Kohberger could help in the investigation.
Kohberger is a convicted murderer who was accused of killing four Idaho university students, and data from cell phone towers around the murder location helped track him.
Now, it is being suggested that the same method could be used to apprehend Nancy Guthrie's kidnapper, whose identity still remains unknown nearly a month after the abduction.
The Authorities Intend To Analyze Cell Phone Data In Nancy Guthrie's Location
Instagram | Savannah Guthrie
Despite several pieces of evidence emerging, including footage of a suspect connected to Nancy Guthrie's abduction, no relevant arrests have been made nearly a month after the incident.
That could change with the authorities' recent decision to analyze cell tower data from around Guthrie's home, using a method similar to the one employed in the Bryan Kohberger case.
Heather Barnhart, an expert with Cellebrite and the SANS Institute, stated that investigators have obtained the necessary cell tower data, though she did not specify how many towers are in the area, per the Daily Mail.
Barnhart, who worked on the Kohberger case, explained that investigators will focus on identifying the owners of devices that entered the area on the night of the abduction and tracking the "pings" when they leave.
Once this information is gathered, the selected numbers will be analyzed to determine which devices do not belong to the area, potentially helping to narrow down the search for the suspect.
The Expert Revealed The Mistake That May Lead To The Suspect's Capture
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA
While speaking with the outlet, Barnhart explained how exactly the analytical processing of the cell phone data could mirror what was done in the Kohberger case.
She noted that Kohberger made a critical mistake by turning his phone back on after leaving the murder scene, despite having previously powered it off, a move that ultimately helped authorities track his movements and identify him as a suspect.
If the kidnapper made a similar mistake, authorities could potentially achieve the same result in identifying and tracking the suspect.
"If you think about Bryan Kohberger, his device was turned off, so the tower right near King Road [victims' home] probably wouldn't have picked that up at all. But when he left, he turned it on, because most people rely on their phones for navigation," the expert shared.
She added, "Unless these people (Nancy's abductor) knew exactly where they were going, their phone will be off and then suddenly ping. So, not just cell towers right by Nancy's home, but take it a few miles out, spread out and look."
The Expert Claims The Tower Data Is The Best Chance Of Finding Nancy Guthrie
FBI/MEGA
Speaking further about Kohberger's mistake, Barnhart revealed more information about the analysis of his phone data from the time of his murders.
"There is this gap of information where there are no phone pings from his device," she said. "It's weird. Him powering off his phone gave us the perfect bookend of his crime, and really proved his intent to do harm to those kids in that house."
The expert then expressed confidence that going through tower data is "probably the best chance" to find Guthrie, alongside any information from license plate readers and footage from passerby car cameras.
"Everyone has cameras. License plate readers are everywhere. So, unless you're using a flip phone, you've never touched technology, you enter a house that doesn't have cameras, and you're doing it on foot or horseback, you're going to be found," Barnhart remarked.
"It may feel to the family like they're chasing the impossible, (but) with digital, people will be found. There's infinite amounts of data to keep thinking through," she added.
Investigators Plan To Use Genetic Genealogy For DNA Leads
MPI28/Capital Pictures / MEGA
Former deputy chief with the New York Police Department, Emanuel Katranakis, recently shared that investigators plan to use genetic genealogy as a last-ditch effort to match a DNA sample with a person amid the search for Guthrie.
According to CBS News, this is being done after recent DNA sent for testing yielded disappointing results, as no matches were found in the FBI's CODIS database.
"If this perpetrator has a relative that is a convicted offender in the database, you build a family tree around it," Katranakis said. "You're throwing a wide net, you're looking for cousins."
This method recently helped in the case of the Idaho killer, Bryan Kohberger, with the FBI using crime scene DNA to identify him.
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