TUCSON, Ariz. — The hunt for Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, Nancy, has been doomed by Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos’ ego and his vendetta against the FBI, according to a rising chorus of critics.
The high-profile case has seen missteps like leaving Nancy Guthrie’s house unguarded in the hours after the crime, baffling press interviews and a protracted investigation that so far has yielded no clear suspects or strong leads after more than two weeks.
The FBI is desperate to take over the investigation, but cannot unless the Guthrie family specifically asks, multiple law enforcement sources told The Post.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has come under criticism for his handling of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
“It is a common belief in this agency that this case has become an ego case for Sheriff Nanos,” said Sgt. Aaron Cross, president of the Pima County Deputies Organization.
From the moment the “Today” show co-host’s mom was reported missing from her million-dollar Tucson home, Nanos — the top cop in Arizona’s second-most populous county — took center stage hosting press briefings with a charming, down-to-earth demeanor.
Nanos has been the primary source of information in the case, granting multiple interviews to news outlets across the country, and continuing to hold court with rambling press briefings in the aftermath of Nancy’s Feb. 1 disappearance.
There are no suspects or major leads, more than two weeks after the 84-year-old’s disappearance.
Facebook/Savanah Guthrie
His decision to move away from general briefings to cozy chit-chats with individual journalists has led to conflicting reports, confusion and a general sense that the sheriff is more interested in “damage control” than in clarity, as one law enforcement source put it to The Post.
“The sheriff turned a serious investigation into a rolling spectacle, from questionable decisions to shifting narratives and a disastrous media cleanup tour that raised more questions than it answered,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Leadership in moments like this requires discipline, not damage control,” the source added.
“Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie with her mother, who was last seen on Jan. 31.
savannahguthrie/Instagram
Betsy Brantner Smith from the National Policing Association said Nanos’ failure to provide regular press briefings has added to the confusion.
“This is Public Information Officer 101. I used to teach these classes. As a law enforcement organization, you have to communicate with the media,” she said.
“You can’t just stop talking to them or piecemeal out information.”
Nanos did not respond to a list of questions from The Post Wednesday — or to previous attempts to speak with him.
One outspoken critic of Nanos has been Cross, of the sheriff’s deputies association.
Nanos holds a press briefing on Feb. 5, 2026, in the early days of the Guthrie investigation.
REUTERS
Cross, who has twice sued Nanos in federal court, accused the sheriff of badly mishandling the communications aspect of the case.
“If you’re going to spend all day talking to media, instead you can do a one-hour press conference with someone capable of speaking clearly and professionally,” Cross told The Post.
FBI feud
At the center of Nanos’ apparent unwillingness to relinquish control of the case appears to be a long-running feud with the FBI dating back to 2015 when he was appointed chief of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
That same year, the FBI began investigating the department for misuse of civil asset forfeiture funds. Nanos was never charged, but the sheriff at the time was indicted, and Nanos lost the subsequent 2016 election for sheriff.
FBI agents and Pima County Sheriff’s Department deputies conduct a search of a Range Rover in the investigation into Guthrie’s abduction.
A tent erected outside Guthrie’s home during an FBI search on Feb. 12, 2026.
Andy Johnstone for NY Post
“It is widely believed he thinks the FBI cost him his election,” Cross said.
Nanos was visibly furious in 2016 as he hit back at the FBI over its overspending allegations against his department, calling the claims “total BS” in an interview with KGUN9.
“You can just see him seething with rage against the FBI,” Cross said, referring to the clip.
“That’s the real Sheriff Nanos — the angry, vindictive guy. That’s who we experience inside the department. The ‘aw shucks’ kind of persona that he portrays is kind of the character that he puts on.”
Nanos was finally elected sheriff in 2020.
Election controversy
Nanos is in the job after winning re-election over his Republican challenger, Heather Lappin, amid controversial circumstances and a slim margin in 2024.
The Democrat won by fewer than 500 votes, after a bitter campaign that saw him place Lappin, then a lieutenant at the Pima County Jail, on administrative leave just weeks before the election.
Cross was also placed on administrative leave at the time.
Lappin filed a lawsuit against Nanos, claiming that after she decided to run for office, “Sheriff Nanos and PCSD leadership waged a retaliatory campaign against Lieutenant Lappin’s career in order to undermine her candidacy.”
Sheriff Nanos has fiercely defended himself against criticisms.
NewsNation
Both Cross’ and Lappin’s cases are ongoing.
Shortly after Nanos’ victory, the Pima County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted for an independent investigation into whether Nanos was responsible for criminal wrongdoing during the election.
The case was referred to Arizona’s Democratic attorney general, but no charges were ever brought.
One member of the Board of Supervisors told The Post that they, too, were “deeply frustrated” with how slowly the case had been progressing.
FBI wants to step in: ‘They would if they could’
More than two weeks into the case, the FBI is “growing frustrated,” a federal source familiar with the case told The Post.
“Over two whole weeks into this, the police have made no leads, no progress,” the source said.
Surveillance footage of a masked suspect from Nancy Guthrie’s front door camera.
Pima County Sheriff’s Department/AFP via Getty Images
“They were never confident in the glove,” the source added, referring to the latex glove that rendered no DNA matches.
“The press conferences are not going well. Giving press conferences without saying anything. It’s not helpful.”
