Exclusive | Sheriff Chris Nanos accused of turning Nancy Guthrie case into bungling ego trip — and FBI is desperate to take over

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TUCSON, Ariz. — The hunt for Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mom Nancy has been doomed by Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos’ ego and his vendetta in opposition to the FBI, based on a rising refrain of critics.

The high-profile case has seen missteps like leaving Nancy Guthrie’s home unguarded within the hours after the crime, baffling press interviews and a protracted investigation that up to now has yielded no clear suspects or sturdy leads after greater than two weeks.

The FBI is determined to take over the investigation, however can't except the Guthrie household particularly asks, a number of legislation enforcement sources informed The Publish.

Comply with The Publish’s stay updates on Savannah Guthrie’s lacking mother

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has come beneath criticism for his dealing with of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. REUTERS

“It's a widespread perception on this company that this case has turn out to be an ego case for Sheriff Nanos,” stated Sgt. Aaron Cross, president of the Pima County Deputies Group.

Doomed from the beginning

From the second the “Right now” present host’s mother was reported lacking from her million-dollar Tucson dwelling, Nanos — the highest cop in Arizona’s second-most populous county — took middle stage internet hosting press briefings with a captivating, down-to-earth demeanor.

Nanos has been the first supply of data within the case, granting a number of interviews to information shops throughout the nation, and persevering with to carry court docket with rambling press briefings within the aftermath of Nancy’s Feb. 1 disappearance.

There aren't any suspects or main leads, greater than two weeks after the 84-year-old’s disappearance. Fb/Savanah Guthrie

His choice to maneuver away from basic briefings to cozy chit-chats with particular person journalists has led to conflicting reviews, confusion and a basic sense that the sheriff is extra fascinated by “harm management” than in readability, as one legislation enforcement supply put it to The Publish.

“The sheriff turned a severe investigation right into a rolling spectacle, from questionable choices to shifting narratives and a disastrous media cleanup tour that raised extra questions than it answered,” the supply stated, talking on situation of anonymity.

“Management in moments like this requires self-discipline, not harm management,” the supply added.

“Right now” present host Savannah Guthrie together with her mom, who was final seen on Jan. 31. savannahguthrie/Instagram

Betsy Brantner Smith from the Nationwide Policing Affiliation stated that Nanos’ failure to supply common press briefings has added to the confusion.

“That is Public Data Officer 101. I used to show these courses. As a legislation enforcement group, it's a must to talk with the media,” she stated.

“You'll be able to’t simply cease speaking to them or piecemeal out info.”

Right here’s the most recent on Savannah Guthrie’s lacking mother

Nanos didn't reply to a listing of questions from The Publish Wednesday — or to earlier makes an attempt to talk with him.

One outspoken critic of Nanos has been Cross, of the sheriff’s deputies affiliation.

Nanos holds a press briefing on Feb. 5, 2026, within the early days of the Guthrie investigation. REUTERS

Cross, who has twice sued Nanos in federal court docket, accused the sheriff of badly mishandling the communications side of the case.

“In case you’re going to spend all day speaking to media, as a substitute you are able to do a one-hour press convention with somebody able to talking clearly and professionally,” Cross informed The Publish.

FBI feud

On the middle of Nanos’ obvious unwillingness to relinquish management of the case seems to be a long-running feud with the FBI courting again to 2015 when he was appointed chief of Pima County Sheriff’s Division.

That very same 12 months, the FBI started investigating the division for misuse of civil asset forfeiture funds. Nanos was by no means charged however the sheriff on the time was indicted, and Nanos misplaced the next 2016 election for sheriff.

FBI brokers and Pima County Sheriff’s Division deputies conduct a search of a Vary Rover within the investigation into Guthrie’s abduction. REUTERS

A tent erected exterior of Guthrie’s dwelling throughout an FBI search on Feb. 12, 2026. Andy Johnstone for NY Publish

“It's broadly believed he thinks the FBI price him his election,” Cross stated.

Nanos was visibly livid in 2016 as he hit again on the FBI over its overspending allegations in opposition to his division, calling the claims “complete BS” in an interview with KGUN9.

“You'll be able to simply see him seething with rage in opposition to the FBI,” Cross stated, referring to the clip.

“That’s the actual Sheriff Nanos — the offended, vindictive man. That’s who we expertise contained in the division. The ‘aw shucks’ kinda persona that he portrays is type of the character that he places on.”

Nanos was lastly elected sheriff in 2020.

Election controversy

Nanos is within the job after successful reelection over his Republican challenger, Heather Lappin, amid controversial circumstances and a slim margin in 2024.

The Democrat received by fewer than 500 votes, after a bitter marketing campaign that noticed him place Lappin, then a lieutenant on the Pima County Jail, on administrative go away simply weeks earlier than the election.

Cross was additionally positioned on administrative go away on the time.

Lappin filed a lawsuit in opposition to Nanos, claiming that after she determined to run for workplace, “Sheriff Nanos and PCSD management waged a retaliatory marketing campaign in opposition to Lieutenant Lappin’s profession so as to undermine her candidacy.”

Sheriff Nanos has fiercely defended himself in opposition to criticisms. NewsNation

Each Cross’ and Lappin’s circumstances are ongoing.

Shortly after Nanos’ victory, the Pima County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted for an impartial investigation into whether or not Nanos was chargeable for legal wrongdoing through the election.

The case was referred to Arizona’s Democratic lawyer basic, however no fees had been ever introduced.

One member of the Board of Supervisors informed The Publish that they, too, had been “deeply annoyed” with how gradual the case had been progressing.

FBI desires to step in: ‘They might if they may’

Greater than two weeks into the case, and the FBI is “rising annoyed,” a federal supply acquainted with the case informed The Publish.

“Over two complete weeks into this, the police have made no leads, no progress,” the supply stated.

Surveillance footage of a masked suspect from Nancy Guthrie’s entrance door digital camera. Pima County Sheriff's Division/AFP through Getty Pictures

“They had been by no means assured within the glove,” the supply added, referring to the latex glove that rendered no DNA matches.

“The press conferences usually are not going nicely. Giving press conferences with out saying something. It’s not useful.”

The timeline of the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother:

The supply additionally famous Nanos’ conflicting statements — complicated the media and the general public.

“One minute he exonerates, the following he doesn’t exonerate,” the supply stated, referring to hypothesis that Nancy’s household was one way or the other concerned, till he lastly cleared them this week.

Cross stated the FBI ought to’ve been the lead on the probe from the get-go.

FBI brokers recovering a glove discovered close to Guthrie’s dwelling on Feb. 11, 2026. Andy Johnstone for NY Publish

“They [the FBI] ought to have taken the case over throughout the first few days. We now have been treating this as a kidnapping, and the FBI is the premier company to take care of kidnappings on the earth,” Cross stated, including that Pima County has 400 commissioned deputies and detectives.

“The FBI has far more sources than that, far more personnel. They need to have taken the lead, in my view, and the opinion of many. We should always have gone by way of a supporting function.”

If the FBI had been in control of the case from the beginning, the bureau would have been in a position to ship DNA taken from the glove discovered 2 miles from Nancy’s home to its personal laboratory in Quantico, Va., as a substitute of 1 in Florida picked by the sheriff’s workplace.

As an alternative, the search has been “haphazard,” with authorities “getting fortunate” with the invention of surveillance footage displaying a masked suspect.

“If I had been a sheriff and had no forensic functionality, I’d use the FBI,” the FBI supply stated.

“Authorities occurred to get fortunate with the surveillance video, as a result of there was no video backup. The FBI is attempting to backtrack and it’s tough,” the FBI supply stated.

On the similar time, a number of legislation enforcement and FBI sources reiterated that the bureau can solely take over the case with the expressed permission of Nancy Guthrie’s household.

“The FBI can’t take over a case simply because it will get nationwide consideration,” one other exasperated legislation enforcement supply informed The Publish. “Imagine me, they'd if they may.”

An FBI Proof Response Crew member searches the world close to Guthrie’s home in Tucson on Feb. 11, 2026. Getty Pictures

For his half, Nanos has denied that he hasn’t cooperated with the FBI, telling Inexperienced Valley Information that the bureau hasn’t picked up something that was not already discovered by his detectives.

“We’re devoting the whole lot we’ve obtained to it,” Nanos stated.

Scene give up

Considered one of Nanos’ early strikes, which baffled many consultants, was his choice to give up Nancy Guthrie’s dwelling simply days into the investigation.

“In my skilled opinion, I consider they launched the crime scene too early. And that was on Sheriff Nanos,” Brantner Smith, a former cop, informed The Publish.

Within the complicated first few days of the investigation, reporters and web “true crime” sleuths descended on Nancy Guthrie’s dusty Catalina Foothills neighborhood exterior Tucson — and located to their shock that they had been in a position to stroll straight as much as her entrance door.

Blood splattered in entrance of Guthrie’s entrance door on Feb. 3, 2026. BACKGRID

“Each reporter I’ve spoken with that’s right here on the bottom couldn't consider that they had been allowed to stroll as much as the door the following day,” Cross stated.

“I believe it was fully predictable that we must return on the market once more,” he stated, including that the home ought to have been locked down with crime scene tape and safety.

“It appears to be like unprofessional. It appears to be like amateurish to must repeatedly go on the market,” he stated. “It doesn’t look good for our division once we’ve had reporters strolling up and basically contaminating the scene.”

Members of the media gathered exterior of Guthrie’s home days after her disappearance on Feb. 3, 2026. BACKGRID

Nanos has denied that his division had relinquished the crime scene too early.

“To begin with, we didn’t launch the crime scene too early. We completed. We accomplished our crime scene. Achieved. Ask my investigators. I don’t go on the market and do this. They did it and so they felt assured they retrieved the whole lot,” he informed Inexperienced Valley Information.

Airplane fallacious

Nanos has additionally confronted criticism for not instantly launching his division’s high-tech plane when Nancy went lacking, delaying the aerial seek for hours through the essential first day of the investigation.

The obvious holdup in deploying the Cessna airplane, generally known as Survey 1, was as a result of a staffing scarcity, based on insiders, who've blamed the sheriff for the snafu.

Pima County’s most skilled and skilled search and rescue deputy was moved out of the unit in September 2025 “with out substitute, merely for simply being there too lengthy,” based on Cross.

The week earlier than Nancy went lacking, one other pilot tasked with flying Survey 1 was additionally moved out, reportedly as a result of employees shortages.

“Shifting the pilot out the week earlier than left us with out our airplane to right away reply to this lacking particular person,” Cross stated.

“It was only a matter of time earlier than one thing horrible occurred, and it uncovered the self-imposed weak spot that Nanos created,” Cross added.

Good cops beneath dangerous management

Behind the scenes, many Pima County deputies reportedly share the frustrations of the FBI and consultants on Nanos’ dealing with of one of the bewildering kidnapping circumstances of our time.

“These officers are being known as the Keystone cops, and informed they don’t know what they’re doing,” Brantner Smith, who served in legislation enforcement in Chicago for 3 a long time earlier than shifting to Pima County, informed The Publish.

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“And it’s very irritating as a result of these are excellent cops. They’re simply not working beneath the perfect management,” she added.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Division dealt with 12 homicides in 2024 and solved all of them. Deputies police the county of greater than one million.

“[Nanos] just isn't a superb communicator. And in my view, that's fueling a lot of this consternation and hypothesis, in addition to the pointless abuse of our Pima County Sheriff’s Division,” Smith added.

“The detectives are embarrassed by the press conferences,” Cross added.

Nanos beforehand hit out in opposition to his critics over their assaults, singling out Cross straight.

“Aaron Cross is simply being Aaron Cross. He's manipulative and he's a liar, OK? He greatest watch out as a result of the additional this goes for him, the deeper he’s digging himself,” Nanos informed Inexperienced Valley Information.