Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos offered his most direct public statement yet on the investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, telling Fox News reporters outside his department on Saturday that investigators are nearing a resolution. Asked point-blank whether they were close to solving the case, Nanos answered with two words: "We are."
It was a striking moment of apparent confidence from a sheriff who has spent months under withering criticism for how his department has handled the case, and who now faces a vote by the Pima County Board of Supervisors on May 12 that could end his tenure.
Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie, disappeared from her Tucson home on February 1. Nearly four months later, she has not been found. Nanos did not elaborate on what progress has been made or answer additional questions about any update to the case before getting into his car, The Hill reported.
The investigation has drawn national attention not just because of the Guthrie family's prominence but because of persistent questions about the Pima County Sheriff's Department's competence and cooperation with federal authorities. Investigators believe Guthrie was abducted from her home by a masked man captured on security footage. AP News reported that authorities found signs of forced entry at the home, and digital forensic work recovered doorbell-camera evidence showing an armed, masked person tampering with the camera outside.
The suspected abductor was described as approximately 5 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, with an average build and wearing a black 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack. Family members reported Nancy missing after she failed to show up for church.
One of the most contentious aspects of the investigation has been the handling of DNA evidence. FBI Director Kash Patel told Sean Hannity in a podcast interview on Tuesday that his bureau was "kept out" during the first four days of the investigation. He also addressed why DNA collected from Guthrie's home was sent to a private lab in Florida rather than the FBI's own laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, a decision that has drawn sharp scrutiny from critics who say it may have cost the investigation precious time.
Patel called it a "state and local matter, so it's their call." But he made clear the FBI could have moved faster.
"We would've analyzed it within days and maybe gotten better information or more information. Our lab's just better than any other private lab out there, and we didn't get the chance to do that. So I understand everybody's frustrations."
The sheriff did not take Patel's remarks quietly. In a statement posted to X from the official Pima County Sheriff's Department account, Nanos pushed back on the characterization that the FBI had been sidelined. He said the bureau "was promptly notified by both our department and the Guthrie family."
"While the FBI Director was not on scene, coordination with the Bureau began without delay."
Nanos also defended the decision to send DNA to a private lab, framing it as a tactical judgment. His statement said: "Decisions regarding evidence processing were made on scene based on operational needs. The laboratory utilized by the Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI Laboratory in Quantico have worked in close partnership from the outset and continue to collaborate in the analysis of evidence."
That explanation has not satisfied everyone. The New York Post reported that the department has been under fire not only for its DNA testing decisions but also for releasing the crime scene just days after Guthrie disappeared. The department also drew backlash after posting "Update: Nancy has been located" on social media, a message that referred to a different missing woman named Nancy Radakovich, not Nancy Guthrie, sparking confusion and public anger.
That kind of misstep does not inspire confidence in a department already facing questions about its handling of a high-profile abduction case. Investigators who examined the crime scene inside Guthrie's Tucson home found deeply troubling evidence, and the public has been waiting months for answers.
Adding to the frustration, a potentially significant lead has been ruled out. Sheriff Nanos told Fox News that DNA found on a glove near Guthrie's home was traced to a restaurant worker across the street and has no connection to the case.
Just the News reported Nanos's explanation in detail. "We believed wholeheartedly that those gloves belonged to a restaurant and guess what? The owner of the glove, we found working at a restaurant across the street. It has nothing to do with the case," Nanos said.
That dead end underscores the difficulty of the investigation, and raises the stakes of whatever progress Nanos says has been made. Genetic genealogist Cece Moore told NewsNation late last month that because the Guthrie case is not yet cold, DNA found by investigators will be worked on immediately with the aim of fast-tracking results. The FBI's own DNA analysis from evidence collected at the home remains a thread the public is watching closely.
Whatever Nanos knows about the case, his own job security is no longer certain. The Pima County Board of Supervisors will vote on May 12 to decide whether to discipline the sheriff for his work conduct and history, with removal from office a real possibility.
Supervisor Matt Heinz told Arizona Luminaria that a report Nanos filed to the board did not meet statutory requirements. Heinz did not mince words about the consequences.
"There are significant deficiencies in his response that I believe are so problematic that they put him at risk for removal."
The vote comes as the Guthrie investigation approaches its four-month mark with no arrest, no recovery, and a family still in anguish. Savannah Guthrie told Hoda Kotb in a March interview on NBC News, "We are in agony." She returned to the "Today" show on April 6, saying, "Here we go, ready or not. Let's do the news." The family has offered a $1 million reward for information.
For a community watching an 84-year-old woman's abduction go unsolved while the lead agency fumbles its public messaging and feuds with the FBI over evidence handling, two words from the sheriff, "We are", carry enormous weight. They are either a sign that the investigation is finally converging on answers, or they are the latest in a string of statements from a department that has repeatedly failed to match its words with results.
The final footage of Nancy Guthrie before her disappearance has been in federal hands for weeks. The board votes Monday. And the Guthrie family is still waiting.
Accountability is not a suggestion. If Nanos has the answers he claims, it is long past time to show them.