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Nancy Guthrie update: FBI pulled out all stops to find Savannah's mom, Sheriff Nanos refused; Kash Patel shares details
FBI Director Kash Patel shared that they had pulled out all stops to analyze the DNA evidence from the Nancy Guthrie crime scene, but it was sent to Florida.
Nancy Guthrie remains to be found after her family reported her missing on February 1. Authorities believe she was taken from her Catalina Foothills home near Tucson, Arizona, the night before. Now, months later, FBI director Kash Patel has revealed that the FBI had measures in place to ensure the DNA evidence was tested as fast as possible to help with the case.
Notably, reports from when Guthrie was taken indicated that the Pima County Sheriff's Department had opted to send the evidence to a private Florida lab instead of handing it over to the FBI first. While they have the right to test the evidence using their own facilities, since they're the lead on the case, many expected Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos to turn over the evidence, given that the FBI has more resources at hand.
Now, Patel's comments on the case while on Sean Hannity's podcast, has sparked major backlash against Nanos, who was already facing the heat over this case.
What Kash Patel said about Nancy Guthrie case
Patel said that the FBI had a plane on standby ready to take the DNA evidence from the Nancy Guthrie crime scene to Quantico for analysis. However, Nanos had gone with the Florida lab.
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“The FBI had an airplane ready to take DNA from the Nancy Guthrie crime scene to Quantico early on, but the sheriff instead decided to send the DNA to a private lab in Florida. I didn't know about the airplane on standby, but Kash Patel said it on Sean Hannity's podcast today,” NewsNation's Brian Entin wrote on X, while sharing the news. The reporter has been covering the Guthrie case right from the start and is on-ground in Tucson to that end.
Patel's statements have led to newfound anger against Nanos. One person remarked “nanos needs to GO.” Another added “Patel also said Nanos held off the FBI for 4 full days!.”
Yet another commented “Another example of Nanos botching this case. So sad. How must the Guthrie family feel? I would think it is difficult for them to remain quiet hearing about all of the poor decisions.”
Pima County Sheriff responds to Patel's statement
The Pima County Sheriff's Department shared a statement from Nanos, which came in the wake of Patel's comments.
“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 FBI 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,” the statement read.
“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,” it added, and further continued, “We remain committed to a thorough, coordinated, and fact-based investigation and will continue working closely with our federal partners as the process moves forward.”
Nanos previously faced flak over apparent crime scene contamination as people pointed out that there were many movements at Guthrie's home after she'd been taken. Now, the DNA evidence is back from the Florida lab and has been handed over to the FBI. Several former law enforcement members have expressed hope of there being some breakthrough when the evidence is analyzed using FBI technology. One former FBI agent, in particular, felt that the hair particle, which was par of the DNA recovered, might shed some light on who had taken the 84-year-old mother of TODAY show host Savannah Guthrie.
