Black gloves found in search for Nancy Guthrie, sources close to the investigation say

A pair of black gloves was found amid the search for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie, sources close to the investigation confirmed to CBS News. The gloves will be tested for DNA.

Video from the New York Post shows investigators picking up one of the gloves from the side of a road, reportedly about a mile and a half from Nancy Guthrie’s home in Arizona. The glove, seen in images, resembles one on the hand of a person who was captured on video outside the 84-year-old’s home the night she went missing.  

The discovery of what could mark a major break in the case comes after the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said they received thousands of new tips following the release of surveillance video, which showed a masked person tampering with a front porch camera. 

Retired FBI special agent Lance Leising said a wealth of leads come directly from that footage, which shows the person wearing a backpack and an apparent weapon.

“From the backpack to the holster, to the potential weapon, to the jacket, to the flashlight in his mouth, to the unique ski mask … most of them have some unique characteristics that will absolutely be followed up on,” he said.

Investigators have been searching for Nancy Guthrie for nearly two weeks, digging up clues and soliciting tips as they work to identify a possible suspect or suspects. The grandmother and mother of three was last seen on Jan. 31. Authorities believe she was taken from her home in an overnight abduction.

Savannah Guthrie, in her latest post on social media related to her mother’s disappearance, released a clip of a family video showing her mom when she was younger and said, “we will never give up on her.”

FBI agents are fanning out across her neighborhood north of Tucson, searching the foothills through brush and along roads.

The FBI is still trying to find out who is behind a ransom note that was first sent to CBS News’ Tucson affiliate KOLD demanding Bitcoin. The Guthrie family at one point promised to pay despite receiving no proof of life and has released multiple video pleas for the return of their mother.

TMZ reported on Wednesday that it received a new note also demanding Bitcoin from a person claiming to have information that could lead to the kidnapper. 

Cybersecurity expert Alex Stamos said a “huge amount of cyber crime is powered by cryptocurrency,” and that there is “a huge misperception about cryptocurrency transactions, and that lots of people think they’re untraceable.”

“That is totally untrue,” he said. “Most cryptocurrency transactions happen in complete view of the public.” 

The sheriff’s office says they’ve received more than 18,000 tips in the past 12 days. The FBI is continuing to call on the public for help and has offered a $50,000 reward for information about Guthrie’s whereabouts.