The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has declined an offer from a volunteer search team to aid in the search for Nancy Guthrie, the group’s leader who has been missing.
Brian Trasher, the vice president of the United Cajun Navy, expressed that his team is equipped and ready to help find the 84-year-old woman, who disappeared from her home in Tucson, Arizona, in February.
“We have many resources we could use in this area,” Trasher shared with News Nation. “We could have collaborated with other local groups eager to assist us as well.” He mentioned feeling strongly that Guthrie might have gone missing near the border.
While it’s not clear exactly when Trasher reached out, he stated that his proposal—including K-9 and drone teams for extensive search operations—was overlooked by local authorities.
“For some reason, they opted not to engage outside assistance, so we returned to our usual activities,” he noted.
Trasher suggested that this snub reflects a larger policy by the Pima County Sheriff’s Office to avoid outside help in cases involving older missing persons. The sheriff’s office hasn’t commented on the matter.
This decision has sparked further controversy in what has already been a tumultuous search for Nancy Guthrie.
Sheriff Chris Nanos has faced considerable backlash regarding the handling of this case, with some accusing his team of potentially destroying evidence that could have led to her discovery.
Moreover, critics have also raised concerns about the Sheriff’s Office vacating Guthrie’s home shortly after her disappearance and opting to send DNA samples from the scene to a private lab, which delays testing that could have been conducted by the FBI sooner.
