Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos might be stepping down from his position amid criticism over his handling of the Nancy Guthrie case. The 84-year-old was reported missing on February 1 and authorities believe she was taken from her Catalina Foothills home near Tucson, Arizona the night before.
Sheriff Nanos' department has lead on the case and they're being assisted by the FBI. However, Sheriff Nanos has come under fire multiple times over his handling of the case. Now, a recall effort has been launched against Nanos, as per Mary Coleman of KOLD News.
“We've confirmed with the Pima County Elections Department that a recall effort has been launched for Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos. It was filed on March 12th,” the journalist shared on X.
Nanos responded to the recall effort launched against him and said "We're aware of the recall and it's the right of the people. We'll always honor the will of the people and that's what makes democracy."
{{/usCountry}}Nanos responded to the recall effort launched against him and said "We're aware of the recall and it's the right of the people. We'll always honor the will of the people and that's what makes democracy."
{{/usCountry}}Coleman added “To move forward, 120,000 signatures have to be collected in the next 120 days to prompt the actual recall. This comes in the wake of scrutiny over the handling of the Nancy Guthrie investigation.”
Chris Nanos under fire in Nancy Guthrie case
Several aspects of Nanos' handling of the case has raised eyebrows even as the kidnapping case has captured the attention of the nation. There was a row over evidence being sent to a Florida lab instead of the FBI lab. However, Nanos stuck to his guns in the matter.
Thus, when he spoke about delays in the forensic evidence the public squarely blamed him. Some have also questioned the decision to clear the entire Guthrie family's name from being suspects even before the case was closed.
It has been over a month since Guthrie's disappearance and the Pima County Sheriff's office has not provided any update on where she might be and has not given any further update on a suspect either yet. The FBI had last released a physical description of the suspect based on video footage from Guthrie's house. The suspect was described as a male with an average build, 5'9"–5'10" tall, wearing a black 25L Ozark Trail hiker backpack.
Meanwhile, Brian Entin of News Nation apprised in the latest update that the FBI has been back in Nancy Guthrie's neighborhood. They asked about neighbors who moved out before the octogenarian vanished and also expressed interest in a home under construction, seeking the names of all the crew members who have worked on the house.