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Nancy Guthrie update: TV crew's access flagged; emails raise transparency questions on Sheriff Chris Nanos
Emails reveal Pima County Sheriff’s Department collaborated with a reality TV crew, granting access to operations before Nancy Guthrie's disappearance.
Newly surfaced emails reveal that the Pima County Sheriff’s Department worked closely with a reality television crew. According to Fox News Digital, authorities granted behind-the-scenes access to deputies, operations, and footage months before the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Savannah Guthrie.
The emails span more than 220 pages and were exchanged between the department officials and producers of the A&E show Desert Law. Fox News reported that the emails detail extensive cooperation, including ride-alongs, access to body camera footage, and coordination on filming logistics.
Desert Law is the Pima County Sheriff's Department's (PCSD) own reality TV that follows the ‘high-intensity work’ of the PCSD.
Given that the investigation into Guthrie's disappearance, which was reported on February 1, 2026, from her Tucson home, is still underway, the disclosures have sparked new concerns about agency objectives and internal procedures.
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Emails reveal behind-the-scenes media access
According to the emails, producers from Twenty Twenty Productions sought extensive material for the series, including arrest footage, bodycam video, and access to deputies during active duty. In one June 2025 exchange, a producer requested contacts for multiple unit leaders.
The first episode of the show premiered on January 1, 2026.
In one instance, the TV crew flagged an altercation where a deputy began recording only after a confrontation had already taken place
Show Producer Tom Olney frequently expressed dissatisfaction with the length of time it takes to obtain bodycam footage and offered to talk about strategies to prioritize and speed up the process in order to fulfill program deadlines. He occasionally requested that his more recent requests be replaced before his earlier ones; at least once, officials complied.
Additionally, Robert Koumal, the captain in charge of the sheriff's records administration and community services division at PCSD, sent out a message urging deputies to get in touch with the show producers “if any incidents occur.”
The collaboration was complimented by Olney, who wrote, "Thank you as ever for all your continued support, it's amazing and absolutely the best I've ever received from any law enforcement department!"
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No overlap with the Nancy Guthrie case
The emails were sent between July and December of 2025, long before Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped. Nancy is believed to have been kidnapped in the early hours of February 1, 2026.
PCSD remains the lead investigative agency, working alongside federal partners as the search continues. As of the latest updates, Guthrie’s whereabouts remain unknown.
