- - Sheriff admits missteps in Nancy Guthrie disappearance investigation

Richard Ruelas, Robert Anglen and Ray Stern, Arizona RepublicFebruary 6, 2026 at 11:28 PM

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Sheriff admits missteps in Nancy Guthrie disappearance investigation

The crime scene tape went up. Then it went down. Days later, it went up again as law enforcement officers retrieved more evidence from the scene.

Then the tape went down again.

If he had the chance to do it over, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said he would have handled aspects of the investigation into 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie's disappearance differently.

He might have called in other agencies sooner to help with the investigation.

And, he might have kept the yellow tape strung around the residence to preserve the chain of custody for any additional evidence removed, an important step in any criminal case.

"I'll let the court worry about it," Nanos said during a Feb. 5 news conference when asked about whether the items taken from the home the previous day could have evidentiary issues. "We follow the rules of law."

Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show cohost Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing Feb. 1 from her home in the Catalina Foothills northeast of Tucson. Two days later, after Nanos said at a news conference that a doorbell camera had been taken, journalists peered at the front of the house from the road.

Two reporters – including one from The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network – made their way up the gravel drive and to the front door.

There was the mount – likely from a Google Nest system. There also was a package in an Amazon envelope.

And, on the ground, droplets of a substance that appeared to be – and later was confirmed by Nanos to be – blood. Nanos said DNA analysis showed the blood belonged to Nancy Guthrie.

Other reporters and photojournalists took turns going up to the front door, capturing footage through cameras and phones.

It wasn't until the late afternoon that private security guards parked on the driveway to deter trespassers.

Nanos said during his Feb. 5 news conference that if he were to play Monday morning quarterback, he might have kept the crime scene preserved longer.

"We got what we thought was complete," he said. "I have to have all faith and trust in (agents') abilities and skills."

After processing the scene to what they thought was completion, his agents followed the normal course of action and returned the scene to the family, Nanos said.

However, he said that with the benefit of hindsight, it was premature to conclude the home had no more clues to yield.

"At the start of this thing, we weren't sure what we had," he said.

Doorbell camera, pacemaker disconnected at home

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing after she didn't attend Feb. 1 church services, investigators have said.

She was last seen at 9:48 p.m. the night before, after a relative dropped her off at her house. At the Feb. 5 news conference, Nanos confirmed that time based on the garage door opening and closing.

At 1:47 a.m., a camera at the front doorbell was disconnected from the home’s security system. About a half-hour later, another camera connected to that system triggered on something moving, although no video footage exists of what that camera captured, Nanos said.

Nancy Guthrie abduction timeline: Authorities offer chilling new details

By 2:28 a.m., Nancy Guthrie’s pacemaker was disconnected from the application on her phone, which was left in the home.

What happened during that time frame would be key to solving her feared abduction.

Nanos said the day after the reported disappearance that Guthrie didn't walk off on her own, due to her mobility issues. He also said something in the house led investigators to suspect foul play.

Still, Nanos did not marshal neighboring agencies, nor call the FBI.

The FBI has since stepped in to investigate.

Nanos didn't quickly seek law enforcement help

The saga has morphed into a possible kidnapping, with a purported ransom note.

FBI agents took a tripod into the home of Guthrie's sister, Annie. They were in the home Feb. 5 when the Guthries filmed a video statement to their mother and her possible kidnapper, FBI officials said.

Nanos, asked whether his department or the FBI was leading the investigation, said he had no ego and it didn’t matter.

He described bringing in a critical incident team from other agencies, who are sharing as much data as possible.

He thanked the FBI for its help and praised President Donald Trump for agreeing to give any resources needed.

"I didn't even have to ask," Nanos said. "I haven't had to call anybody. They've called me."

He meant it as a sign of the FBI's camaraderie and drive to solve the disappearance. But it was also an acknowledgement that he didn't seek assistance immediately.

'Everyone wants crimes solved at the speed of Twitter'

Frank Milstead, retired Arizona Department of Public Safety director and former Mesa, Arizona, police chief, said he would not criticize the handling of the investigation.

Whatever missteps the Pima County Sheriff's Department made at the outset were not critical, he said.

"I know everyone wants crimes solved at the speed of Twitter," said Milstead, who now works as an adviser for public safety and security companies. "If they could have solved it faster, they would have."

Milstead said the "mea culpa" by Nanos about releasing the crime scene too early and not engaging other agencies for assistance fast enough likely would not impact the case.

He said the turnaround in both instances – reexamining the crime scene and bringing in the FBI and other local agencies – was done quickly.

"All the people are in the right place," Milstead said. He praised the system of cooperation among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in Arizona as "second to none."

Milstead said he had no special insight into the case beyond his years of experience in law enforcement. He said he was confident that any suspect DNA was recovered and was being processed.

And everybody leaves DNA, he said.

If the perpetrator turned out to be a regular visitor to the home, then finding DNA "doesn't make you a suspect – but it doesn’t eliminate you, either," Milstead said.

Milstead cautioned that, for as much information as authorities are releasing to the public, they also are withholding details to catch who took Guthrie.

All criminal cases are different, and none can be held to a timeline, he said.

"It takes as long as it takes," he said, adding there was reason to believe Guthrie was still alive. "I just hope they haven’t victimized that woman any further."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sheriff Nanos admits missteps in Nancy Guthrie case

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