Guthrie's family, which includes "all siblings and spouses," has been co-operative and gracious as authorities investigate the kidnapping, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a statement on Monday.
"To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel," he said in a statement on X.
"The Guthrie family are victims plain and simple."
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on January 31 when family dropped her off at her home near Tucson after she had dined with them, and relatives reported her missing the following day.
Investigators said on Sunday they had obtained a DNA sample from a glove that was found near 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie's Arizona home and appears to match the pair worn by a masked prowler seen in doorbell camera footage before she was abducted two weeks ago.
The porch camera recorded video of a person with a backpack who was wearing a ski mask, long pants, a jacket and gloves.
Nanos said in a text message to The Associated Press that the 25-littre Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack was the only clothing item that has been "definitively identified".
"This backpack is exclusive to Walmart and we are working with Walmart management to develop further leads," Nanos said.
The suspect's clothing "may have been purchased from Walmart but is not exclusively available at Walmart," the Pima County Sheriff's Department said in a statement Monday.
"This remains a possibility only."
The development comes as law enforcement gathers more potential evidence and as the search for Guthrie's mother heads into its third week. Authorities previously said they had not identified a suspect.
Authorities have expressed concern about Nancy Guthrie's health because she needs vital daily medicine. She is said to have a pacemaker and have dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff's dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.
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