Arizona sheriff pushes back after FBI Director Kash Patel criticises Nancy Guthrie investigation

Patel had argued the FBI could have processed the DNA evidence "within days"

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office is publicly responding after FBI Director Kash Patel criticised the handling of the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC host Savannah Guthrie.

Sheriff Chris Nanos defended his department’s actions after Patel claimed the FBI was kept out of the case for four days during the crucial early stages of the investigation. Patel alleged that local authorities delayed involving federal agents and mishandled DNA evidence by sending it to a private lab in Florida instead of the FBI’s Quantico facility.

In response, the sheriff’s office said the FBI was notified immediately and had personnel on scene from the beginning of the investigation. Nanos stated that coordination between local and federal authorities “began without delay” and emphasised that both the FBI lab and the private forensic lab have continued working together on evidence analysis.

Patel, speaking on a podcast appearance with Sean Hannity, argued the FBI could have processed the DNA evidence “within days” and suggested the delayed federal involvement may have slowed the investigation. He also credited the FBI with recovering key doorbell-camera footage showing a masked individual outside Guthrie’s Tucson home shortly before her disappearance.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, vanished from her Arizona residence on February 1, 2026. Authorities later said evidence at the scene indicated she may have been abducted against her will. Investigators have since released surveillance images and video of a masked suspect, but no arrests have been made.

The public disagreement between Patel and local investigators has added another layer of scrutiny to the high-profile case, which has remained unresolved for more than three months