Luke Daley, a convicted felon, was briefly detained along with his mother during a SWAT raid investigating the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie. The 37-year-old released a statement Thursday explaining what exactly happened on February 13 when FBI agents and a SWAT team swarmed their home just two miles from where “Today” host Savannah Guthrie’s mother is believed to have been abducted.
Is Luke Daley facing charges for kidnapping Nancy Guthrie?
Daley’s attorney, Chris Scileppi, said Daley was the subject of two search warrants, one for his mother’s house and another for his Range Rover. They were all detained but not arrested.
“Both Mr. Daley and his mother were detained by law enforcement during the execution of the search warrant. Neither Mr. Daley nor his mother have been arrested in connection with this or any other case,” Cilepi told 12 News.
“He has no contact with Nancy Guthrie and has no information related to her abduction. Like the entire Tucson community, Mr. Dailey and his mother are hopeful that Nancy will be returned to her family unharmed,” the attorney added.
Luke Daly’s criminal history
The 37-year-old Tucson native was sentenced to 18 months in prison on convictions for drug solicitation, criminal damage and evading law enforcement. According to 12 News, his time in prison was from 2019 to 2020. In 2022, he was arrested for drug trafficking and sentenced to four years of probation. Last year, Dailey was arrested in Marana for possessing fentanyl and a firearm.
Evidence update in Nancy Guthrie case
Meanwhile, police said Tuesday that DNA from a glove found near Nancy Guthrie’s home did not match any entry in a national database.
“No DNA information was detected in CODIS,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said of the National Comprehensive DNA Index System.
“At this time, there have been no confirmed CODIS matches in this investigation,” the department said, suggesting other DNA samples have passed through the system.
The Sheriff’s Department said it is looking to enter the DNA evidence into other “genetic genealogy” databases. It did not elaborate.
Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother disappeared from her home on Feb. 1 after spending the previous night with family, police said. Her blood was found on the porch.
A porch camera captured video of a man carrying a backpack wearing a ski mask, pants, jacket and gloves. The FBI said the suspect is about 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 meters) tall and of medium build.
The gloves were found about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from Guthrie’s home. The FBI said the gloves appeared to match those worn by the man in the video.
“Additional DNA evidence was found at the residence and is currently being analyzed,” the Sheriff’s Department said.
Additionally, the department said it is working with experts to try to locate Guthrie by testing her pacemaker.
(With inputs from The Associated Press)
