The disappearance of Nancy Guthrie has become entangled in a federal probe into the conduct of Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, raising freshquestionsabout the handling of the missing Guthrie investigation.
The FBI case centres on whether Nanos resisted expanded federal involvement at a critical early stage and whether that affected the pace and transparency of theGuthrie investigation. The controversy hasintensifiedpublic and political scrutiny of his office's role in the ongoing search and the broader FBI case examining possible constitutional violations.
Sheriff Nanos hasacknowledged misstepsin how he communicated with the FBI but denies deliberately obstructing the probe into the 84-year-old's disappearance. Pima County Assessor Suzanne Droubie has separately accused Nanos of 'scolding' her office over how it cooperated with the FBI in theNancy Guthrie investigation, according to accounts reported by Newsweek and the Arizona Republic.
Droubie said the sheriff's reaction conveyed displeasure when her office shared information with the bureau, an exchange that has since been cited as evidence of friction between the sheriff's department and federal agents.
TheFBI's constitutional-violationsinvestigation was triggered after concerns that Nanos constrained the bureau's role in the missing Guthrie case.Officialshave described the probe as 'highly unusual,' given that it places a local sheriff's conduct under federal review while the search for Nancy Guthrie itself remains unresolved after more than 100 days.
Nancy Guthrie's family, including her daughter Savannah Guthrie, have repeatedly signalled frustration over the pace of the investigation. The Guthrie family said in a public statementcarried by Fox Newsthat they are unable to grieve until Nancy is found, describing their focus as 'solely on finding her and bringing her home.'
Pima County supervisors, including Rex Scott, Dr Matt Heinz, Jennifer Allen, Steve Christy, and Andrés Cano, argue that the sheriff's initialhesitation to expandthe FBI's role may have slowed the collection and review of critical forensic and digital evidence, which investigators still regard as central to the unsolved search.
The department has acknowledged that 'hundreds of calls related to the case' come in daily and has asked the public to submit only 'actionable tips,' a shift that reflects the pressure on the overstretched task force handling the Guthrie investigation.
NEW: Surveillance photo released in connection with Nancy Guthrie disappearancehttps://t.co/rxB9tc4rhC
Sheriff Nanos has defended the way his department has handled the case, saying he '100% believes the case will be solved,' according to interviews withPeople magazineand Tucson station KOLD.
Source: International Business Times UK
