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FBI vs Sheriff? Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos breaks silence on Nancy Guthrie case 'rift'
Sheriff Chris Nanos clarified that his department has consistently sent evidence to a Florida lab and dismissed claims of sidelining FBI and their resources.
The investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie has entered its 13th day now, with Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos firmly rejecting suggestions of friction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Nanos is also simultaneously defending his office's handling of evidence in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case.
In an interview with Fox's Matt Finn, the Pima County Sheriff addressed mounting speculation about the case, including reports of strained ties between his department and the FBI, the handling of forensic evidence, and claims that key items were missed at the crime scene.
Read more: Lois Gibson: 5 things about expert who drew suspect sketch in Nancy Guthrie case
FBI vs. Sheriff controversy explained
Reuters released a report about a rift between Nanos and the FBI regarding the examination of evidence and releasing it to the FBI. Nanos told Finn that the Sheriff's department began sending Guthrie-related evidence to the Florida forensic lab from the outset.
He detailed that the department was reluctant about sending half the evidence to a private lab and the other half to Quantico. “The FBI was on board with this,” Nanos said, dismissing claims that his office sidelined federal resources.
He added that his office has used the same contracted private crime lab for decades, even before he joined the force.
According to the sheriff, DNA samples from the Guthrie family and other swabs are already housed at that facility.
“We trust the FBI’s crime lab; we’ve used them before, but in this case, we started with that lab. It’s just that simple,” Nanos said.
He further explained that he contacted the FBI on the Monday after Guthrie went missing. He clarified that the suggestion that he could avoid federal partnership is “absolutely crazy.”
Nanos refused to comment on the veracity of the ransom notes, claiming that the FBI is the subject matter expert and had the lead on analyzing them.
Read more: Why did Sheriff Chris Nanos block FBI from Nancy Guthrie case evidence?
What did Nanos say about the glove?
Nanos also sought to clarify confusion about the physical evidence of a certain glove.
“We have no glove. We never found a glove on that property,” Nanos said. He pointed out that although gloves have been detected in the vicinity, even miles away, detectives are not giving every tip priority, particularly those that are far off from the crime scene.
