A statement from the Sheriff’s department noted that the FBI was “promptly” notified of the situation “by both our department and the Guthrie family.”

Sheriff’s office responds to Kash Patel’s claim that FBI was ‘kept out’ of Nancy Guthrie investigation

A statement from the Sheriff's department noted that the FBI was "promptly" notified of the situation "by both our department and the Guthrie family."

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Entertainment Tonight and Popsugar.

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May 6, 2026 12:21 p.m. ET

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Pima County Sheriff, Chris Nanos; FBI Director Kash Patel. Credit:

Jan Sonnenmair/Getty; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty

- The Pima County Sheriff's Department is responding to recent criticism from FBI Director Kash Patel over its handling of the months-long search for *Today *anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy Guthrie.

- During an appearance on Sean Hannity's podcast on Tuesday, Patel claimed Sheriff Chris Nanos tried to keep the FBI out of the investigation.

- "While the FBI Director was not on scene, coordination with the Bureau began without delay," a statement shared from the Pima County Sheriff's Department reads.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is responding to FBI Director Kash Patel's recent comments criticizing Arizona authorities for their handling of the months-long search for *Today** *anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy Guthrie.

A statement shared to the department's social media account on X noted that Sheriff Nanos is "aware of FBI Director Kash Patel's recent interview and statement. Sheriff Nanos responded to the scene the night of the incident, providing immediate local leadership and oversight. A member of the FBI Task Force was also notified and present at that scene working alongside our personnel."

The statement noted that the FBI was "promptly" notified of the situation "by both our department and the Guthrie family."

"While the FBI Director was not on scene, coordination with the Bureau began without delay," the message continued. "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."

The department concluded the statement by writing that officers remain committed to a "thorough, coordinated, and fact-based investigation and will continue working closely with our federal partners as the process moves forward."

Nancy Guthrie, 84, was reported missing on Feb. 1. She was last seen by family members, who dropped her off outside her home in Tucson's Catalina Foothills neighborhood the night before. Authorities declared the house and surrounding area a crime scene within days of her disappearance.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI have publicly noted the discovery and analysis of evidence such as gloves, surveillance images, and more, but no suspects have been announced in a search that is now well into its third month.

Savannah Guthrie and mother Nancy Guthrie.

Savannah Guthrie/Instagram

Patel called out Sheriff Nanos during Tuesday's episode of the *Hang Out with Sean Hannity *podcast after the host said he was "frustrated" because he "knew from my sources they were trying to keep you guys out."

The director agreed with the Fox News personality's assertion that the sheriff's department sidelined the agency for days, adding, "What we, the FBI, do is say, 'Hey, we're here to help. What do you need? What can we do?' And for four days, we were kept out of the investigation."

Patel also criticized authorities' handling of physical evidence, claiming that the FBI didn't get a chance to analyze DNA evidence — including blood and hair — recovered from Guthrie's Tuscon, Ariz., home soon enough. "We would have analyzed it within days and maybe gotten better information or more information. Our lab's just better than any other private lab out there," Patel told Hannity. "And we didn't get a chance to do that. I understand everybody's frustration."

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The FBI director praised the agency for uncovering what he called the most significant lead in the case, images and video captured from a Nest camera on Guthrie's door from the night of her disappearance, released shortly after the massive search began. They depicted what Patel called an "an armed individual" at the time, appearing to tamper with the camera.

Patel has said the FBI recovered it from "residual data on backend systems," which he echoed during Tuesday's conversation. "That's why you have that image," he told Hannity. "Because the FBI worked with Google to put that image out."

Watch Patel's appearance on Hannity's podcast above.

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