‘Nancy Guthrie fought back’: Ex-FBI agent says blood patterns point to a violent struggle

TUCSON, ARIZONA: A new analysis of evidence in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie is raising troubling questions about what may have happened in her final moments at home.

The 84-year-old, who is the mother of 'Today' show host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing since February 1 after authorities said she was likely taken from her Tucson home in the early hours of that morning.

Weeks later, there have been no arrests, and no suspects have been officially named.

Jim Clemente says blood evidence points to struggle during kidnapping

Jim Clemente, a retired FBI agent and criminal profiler, shared his analysis after reviewing video footage and details from the scene.

Speaking with NewsNation’s Brian Entin, he focused on blood spots found near Nancy’s front porch.

According to him, the pattern of the blood, including smears and droplets, suggested a violent struggle.

“I believe that Nancy fought him, either inside the door or just outside, depending on where the first appearance of this blood splatter evidence is,” Clemente said.

He explained that the injuries likely happened quickly during that moment.

“And at that point, she was likely either blitzed with overwhelming force, punched in the face or the nose, and she began bleeding. She went down, either on her knees or just hunched over. And then coughed up this blood, which is why we see this pattern,” he added.

Blood pattern suggests Nancy Guthrie was close to the ground

Clemente also broke down what the positioning of the blood might reveal about Nancy’s condition during the attack.

“At this point, Nancy's face was very close to the ground, within a foot of the ground. This could be she was either on her knees, hunched over, or actually lying on the ground,” he said. 

He also pointed to the sudden end of the blood trail as another key detail. From what he observed, the droplets indicated that her face was very close to the ground at some point.

“Where that blood pattern disappears, I believe she was likely picked up and carried the rest of the way, perhaps with her face up so that there was no more blood deposited on that walkway,” Clemente explained.

Analysis suggests a single suspect may be involved

Another important part of Clemente’s assessment is his belief that only one person carried out the kidnapping.

He argued that if multiple people had been involved, Nancy would likely not have had the chance to resist.

"If there were two people, you would think one of them would have control of her, complete control of her inside the house and brought her outside and would not have lost that control,” he said.

“But here, she's clearly on the ground coughing this blood up.”

He also noted the lack of multiple shoe prints in the blood as supporting evidence.

“There's no evidence to me that there are more than one offender here. If there was three different shoe print patterns in the blood stains… that would tell me something. I don't see it. I'm not aware of that evidence,” he added.

Investigation continues with no major breakthrough so far

Authorities have been working the case for weeks, but progress has been slow.

Chris Nanos, the Pima County sheriff, has faced criticism over how the investigation has been handled, especially as the case has drawn national attention.

Earlier, the FBI released surveillance footage showing a masked man outside Nancy’s home on the night she disappeared. Despite that, no suspect has been identified.

Some forensic evidence has also been examined, including DNA samples. Blood found at the scene was confirmed to be Nancy’s, but it has not helped lead investigators to a suspect.

A glove discovered about two miles away, similar to one seen in the doorbell footage, also did not match any known profiles in the FBI’s DNA database or other samples from the home.

For now, officials say the investigation is ongoing, with no clear answers yet about who took Nancy or where she might be.