Kash Patel, Pima County Sheriff Clash on X Over Nancy Guthrie Investigation

FBI Director Kash Patel and Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos are publicly clashing over the early handling of the Nancy Guthrie investigation, bringing new scrutiny to a Tucson-area disappearance case that remains unresolved more than three months later.

Guthrie, the mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, disappeared from her Tucson-area home after she was last seen Jan. 31. CBS News reported she was reported missing Feb. 1 after a friend contacted the family when Guthrie did not appear at church.

Patel said during an appearance on Sean Hannity’s podcast that the Pima County Sheriff’s Department waited too long to involve the FBI. He claimed the bureau was kept out of the investigation for four days and said the early hours of a missing-person case are especially important.

Nanos pushed back in a statement posted on the sheriff’s department’s X profile. According to local Arizona reporting, Nanos said he responded to the scene the night of the incident, that an FBI task force member was also notified and present, and that coordination with the bureau began without delay.

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The dispute also includes DNA evidence. Patel questioned why evidence was not immediately sent to the FBI lab in Quantico, while the sheriff’s office said evidence-processing decisions were made at the scene based on operational needs and that local and federal labs continue to collaborate.

For Tucson-area readers, the consequence is straightforward: the agencies responsible for finding Guthrie are now publicly disputing the early timeline of the case. No public finding has shown that either agency caused a delay, and the investigation remains active.

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