FBI Director’s Accusations on Guthrie Case Investigation

FBI Director Kash Patel has criticized the Pima County Sheriff, Chris Nanos, for his handling of the investigation into the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, pointing out problems with DNA evidence and a lack of cooperation with federal authorities.

Patel claimed that Nanos effectively pushed the FBI aside after the 84-year-old Guthrie vanished from her Tucson home. He suggested that Nanos ignored federal offers to expedite DNA testing at Quantico, which, according to Patel, wasted crucial time early in the inquiry.

“We were kept out of the investigation for four days,” Patel shared during an appearance on Fox News’ Sean Hannity’s show. He noted how the FBI was forced to assist with cases that were technically under state and local jurisdiction.

Patel explained that he had sent numerous agents to Phoenix and Tucson to support the case and expressed his readiness to fly DNA evidence to a military base in Virginia. Instead, Nanos opted to forward the evidence to a private lab in Florida, a decision Patel labeled as questionable.

Hannity described this choice as “bad judgment,” highlighting that if the evidence had been analyzed sooner, they might have obtained clearer information.

“Our lab is exceptional,” Patel added, emphasizing the importance of the initial 48 hours in missing person cases. He mentioned that once the FBI started its investigation, they contacted Google to retrieve doorbell camera footage showing a masked individual near Guthrie’s home on the night she was believed to have been taken.

Patel suggested that valuable data might have been obtained “days before” the significant developments in the investigation.

In response, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department refuted Patel’s claims, stating that Sheriff Nanos had coordinated with the FBI “without delay.” They affirmed that Nanos was on-site the night of the incident, providing essential management and direction.

The department’s statement insisted that, based on “operational necessity,” decisions regarding evidence handling were made at the scene and that collaborations between their lab and the FBI’s were ongoing.

As for the investigation itself, it’s been nearly three months since Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, with no suspect identified. Nanos has faced scrutiny for his decisions, such as quickly clearing the site of Guthrie’s home, relying on a private DNA lab, and not deploying additional resources like search planes or cadaver dogs.

In defense of his actions, Nanos spoke about the investigation in an interview back in April, yet 93 days later, officials have still not been able to name a suspect in the case.