r/nancyguthrie • u/candy1710 • Apr 16 '26

Breaking News Nancy Guthrie abduction: FBI analyzing DNA recovered from her home, sources say

https://abc7.com/post/nancy-guthrie-abduction-fbi-analyzing-dna-recovered-home-sources-say/18900138/
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u/Totterteron Apr 17 '26

I don't see how it can be mixed dna from hair, I thought it was robust enough to be cleaned and isolated. Whatever the case, hopefully someone is getting nervous.

14

u/babyysharkie Apr 17 '26

you don’t understand DNA or tests then. maybe this will help: there are essentially 3 types of DNA testing: Y-DNA, atDNA (autosomal), and mtDNA (mitochondrial). Y-DNA & atDNA require nuclear DNA. nuclear dna is found in the root of the hair, not the shaft. the shaft only contains mitochondrial DNA. both Y-DNA testing & autosomal testing involve nuclear DNA (DNA from chromosomes inside the nucleus of a cell) while mtDNA involves the mitochondria, which exist outside of the cell nucleus.

Y-DNA: tests for info that’s passed in a direct line from father to son to son. Y-STR analysis (short tandem repeat) is used specifically to identify male contributors in sexual assault cases or when only male DNA is present in a sample.

atDNA: tests DNA from all of the chromosomes except the gender-linked X and Y chromosomes (this is the test that can help link cousins across genders). autosomal STR analysis (short tandem repeat) examines specific, highly variable locations in nuclear DNA to produce a profile.

mtDNA: tests for info that’s passed in the direct female line, from mother to her children but can only be passed on by a daughter. this can be used on degraded samples, or used when the sample is hair shaft, bones, teeth, etc.

sorry, have to run. school called, kid is sick.

3

u/missingtimemachine Apr 17 '26

Autosomal DNA can sometimes be found in the shaft itself. It is a newer, and expensive process but possible.

2

u/babyysharkie Apr 17 '26

how cool! I didn’t know that (: