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Nancy Guthrie: Chris Nanos to be fired? Pima County Sheriff issues statement amid recall effort; ‘will always honor’

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos might have to step down from his position amid criticism over his handling of the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case. 

Published on: Mar 18, 2026 6:59 AM IST
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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.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has been under fire over his handling of the Nancy Guthrie case. (REUTERS)
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has been under fire over his handling of the Nancy Guthrie case. (REUTERS)

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.

Also Read | Nancy Guthrie: Woman's pajamas found near home sparks fear; cops share chilling information about kidnapping suspect

“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."

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.

  • Shuvrajit Das Biswas
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Shuvrajit Das Biswas

    Shuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.Read More

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