The search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie has reached a pivotal stage, yet an experienced FBI agent cautions that valuable time might slip away as essential DNA samples are transported nearly 2,000 miles for analysis.

Jason Pack, a retired FBI supervisory special agent with over 20 years in the field, emphasizes the urgency, describing the case as one where “every hour counts.”

In a bid to solve the mystery surrounding the mother of Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie, law enforcement agencies are racing to analyze forensic evidence collected from dramatic raids, traffic stops, and searches.

Pack highlighted the urgency, likening the situation to a race against time.

“These decisions should have been finalized days ago. Which lab to use, which courier, what’s the expected turnaround?” Pack expressed to Fox News, voicing his concern over the delays in processing crucial evidence.

He stressed that hesitation could prove costly, especially as Guthrie, who requires urgent medical attention, remains unaccounted for.

‘In a case involving a vulnerable 84-year-old woman who is without her heart medication, where every hour matters, you don’t wait for FedEx on Monday morning,’ Pack said.

His comments come amid growing scrutiny over the Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s decision to use a private forensic laboratory in Florida, 2,000 miles from Tucson, instead of the FBI’s own world-class crime lab in Quantico, Virginia.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, disappeared from her $1 million home in the early hours of February 1 and remains missing

Retired FBI agent Jason Pack warned the Nancy Guthrie case is now a ‘race against the clock’

Evidence in the case is being sent to a private forensic lab in Florida, nearly 2,000 miles from Tucson

‘That eliminates days of waiting,’ he said, referring to cases where FBI aircraft are used to immediately transport evidence. 

‘If the FBI has the lead, Quantico is the logical answer, and I’d expect evidence to be wheels-up before the sun sets today.’

He reiterated that, in a time-sensitive investigation, delays can be devastating.

‘Authorities cannot afford to lose a weekend debating how to process evidence,’ Pack said.

The decision to send evidence across the other side of the country has been defended by Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who said the FBI agreed it was best to continue using the same contracted laboratory already working on the case.

Authorities have not confirmed when the newly obtained evidence will arrive at the lab, or how long results might take.

The warnings come as investigators dramatically escalated their search late on Friday night, sealing off roads and deploying heavily armed SWAT teams and FBI agents to a home about two miles from Guthrie’s upscale Catalina Foothills residence.

The operation marked what Pack called a ‘significant escalation’ – a signal investigators may be acting on specific intelligence rather than chasing blind leads.

The FBI agent said the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, could process evidence faster in urgent cases

A SWAT operation unfolds at a home in Tucson, Arizona on Friday night – but no-one was arrested as a result, CNN reported 

A terrifying figure in a ski mask and black gloves is seen on Nancy’s doorbell camera on the night of her disappearance

Nancy and Savannah are pictured together at a gala event in 2012. Savannah has pleaded for her mother’s release 

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, above, has not provided a timeline for the next update, as the FBI is requesting that information remain withheld

‘This has the hallmarks of agents acting on specific, actionable intelligence,’ Pack said.

Agents detained multiple individuals during the operation and stopped a gray Range Rover in a nearby Culver’s parking lot. 

The SUV’s contents were examined, concealed from public view under a tarp, and the vehicle was ultimately towed away for further forensic analysis.

But Pack cautioned that the dramatic searches represent only the beginning of the real investigative work.

‘They’ll be going door to door, looking to talk face to face with neighbors,’ he said.

‘They want to identify patterns of life for each of the people detained. If someone says, “I wasn’t home that night,” a neighbor’s Ring camera might tell a different story. Investigators are building the box.’

Such urgency stems from chilling forensic evidence already recovered from Guthrie’s home.

Authorities have confirmed that DNA belonging to an unidentified individual – someone not known to Guthrie or her family – was found at her property.

Gloves were also recovered nearby, raising the possibility that the perpetrator left behind critical trace evidence.

Multiple ransom notes have been sent demanding up to $6million for Nancy’s release. Savannah Guthrie, her sister Annie and brother Camron are pictured during one of their videos

Guthrie, 84, requires daily medication, raising concerns about her safety

A person is seen placing flowers in front of Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Arizona on Friday

‘DNA that doesn’t belong to Nancy Guthrie or anyone close to her has already been identified at her property. Gloves have been recovered,’ Pack said. ‘All of that evidence needs to get to a lab.’

Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Tucson home more than two weeks ago on January 31. 

Authorities say blood was found on her front porch, and surveillance footage captured a masked individual wearing gloves and a backpack outside her door on the night she disappeared.

Her family, including her daughter Savannah, have issued several emotional public appeals for her safe return.

Savannah described her mother as a ‘loving woman of goodness and light.’

Investigators have received tens of thousands of tips and deployed hundreds of agents in the massive search effort, but no arrests have been announced.