Pima County sheriff defends FBI cooperation in Guthrie investigation

TUSCON, Ariz. — Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said his department couldn’t find even a glove at Nancy Guthrie’s home and dismissed reports of friction between his office and the FBI.

“We don’t have gloves. We didn’t find any gloves on that property,” Nanos said in an interview with Fox News Reporter Matt Finn on Friday.

Nanos also strongly denied allegations that his department was not cooperating with federal authorities.

“This is absolutely crazy,” he said when asked about reports that he was reluctant to involve the FBI. “Why would we be reluctant to take all the partners with great resources and offer them to us?”

He added: “We’re not withholding information from anyone who would help us. Why would we do that? There’s no ego here. It’s all about finding Nancy.”

FORMER FBI AGENT CALLS HOLDINGS IN NANCY GUTHRIE CASE ‘INCREDIBLY AMATEUR AND UNSAFE’

Nanos said he contacted the FBI the next business day after Guthrie’s disappearance and told him he was part of the team of federal agents.

“They sit right next to the FBI. Come into my office, I’ll show you; they sit there with my team,” he said. “They are there every minute of the day and they want to find it.”

FBI investigators search the Catalina Foothills in Tucson, Arizona, on Wednesday, February 11, 2026. Investigations into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie continue. (DWS for Fox News Digital)

On the handling of evidence, Nanos defended his department’s long-standing decision to use a private lab rather than splitting evidence among facilities, including the FBI’s crime lab in Quantico, Virginia.

He said the Guthrie family’s DNA markers and other swab samples were sent to that lab early in the investigation, making it more efficient to continue using the same facility.

“Why would you split your evidence between two different laboratories, which could create a conflict, but more importantly, it would add an additional step?” he said. “This lab has this piece; this lab has that piece. Now they have to combine these two pieces to make a screening or identification. No, just send it to a lab and let’s go.”

“They’re both great labs. They both have great equipment and smart people. We trust the FBI’s crime lab. We’ve used them before. But in this case, we’re just getting started with this lab,” he said. “It’s that simple.”

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos updated the media on the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie, on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona. (Sejal Govindarao/AP Photo)

Regarding the ransom notes, Nanos said the FBI is taking the lead.

“They are experts on all the ransom stuff that we give to the FBI,” he said. “It would be very inappropriate for me to comment on something I told them to do.”

While Nanos said authorities “believe this was a kidnapping,” he said investigators are evaluating all possibilities.

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“You’re always considering all the possibilities,” he said. “But yeah, what’s the obvious? This is a clear kidnapping.”

Asked if anyone had been ruled out, Nanos said investigators may not prioritize individuals but would remain open to re-examining leads.

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“No one was actually eliminated,” he said.

On Thursday, February 12, 2026, a tent was set up at the front entrance of Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Arizona. The tent covers the location where Guthrie’s blood was found. (Fox Flight Crew)

The sheriff also rejected criticism that investigators revealed the crime scene too soon.

“We remove the evidence, we clear the evidence, we take the evidence and we leave,” he told Finn. “We have received all the evidence there is to collect.”

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Cleaning up blood at a crime scene “is not what we do,” he added.

Nanos said auxiliary vehicles, which are currently located outside the home, are there at the family’s request for security.

Those cars “are there because the family said they couldn’t; they didn’t want to be in the house and they asked if we could provide security so no one could get into the house,” he said.

The FBI has released a description of a suspect seen on doorbell camera footage before Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. (Fox News)

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Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance timeline:

January 31, 2026

• 21:30-21:45 — Family drops Nancy home
• 21.50 — Garage door closes (according to authorities)

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February 1, 2026

• 1:47 — Doorbell camera disconnects
• 02:12 — Security camera detects movement
• 02:28 — Pacemaker disconnects from phone app
• 11:56 — Family checks in on Nancy after she missed her weekly church livestream meeting
• 12:03 — 911 was called
• 12:15 — Sheriff’s deputies arrive at the home