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Kash Patel Blasts Sheriff For Sidelining FBI In Nancy Guthrie Case

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Savannah Guthrie
Photo Credit: KTLA 5/YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3cikpN0Ht0

A key decision early in the investigation into the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother may have cost authorities their most important window to solve the case, according to the FBI director.

It’s been three months after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Arizona home, and federal officials are now publicly clashing with local law enforcement over how the investigation was handled in its earliest hours.

FBI Director Kash Patel said his agency was effectively sidelined for days after Guthrie disappeared, which is a delay he claims may have set back the case at the worst possible time.

“For four days we were kept out of the investigation,” Patel said during an appearance on Sean Hannity’s podcast.

He argued that those lost days came during the most critical period in any missing person case.

“The first 48 hours of anyone’s disappearance are the most critical,” Patel said, pointing to the narrow window investigators typically rely on to gather fresh evidence and leads.

According to Patel, the FBI was ready to step in immediately but was not given access by local authorities.

“What we, the FBI, do is say, ‘Hey, we’re here to help. What do you need?’” he said, describing the bureau’s standard approach when assisting in local investigations.

Patel said the delay had direct consequences for how quickly investigators could process crucial evidence tied to Guthrie’s disappearance.

When federal agents were finally looped in, he said they moved quickly to obtain footage from the home’s Ring doorbell system and coordinate with Google to extract any usable data.

That effort produced one of the most widely circulated pieces of evidence in the case — a grainy image of a masked figure approaching Guthrie’s home.

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“That’s why you have that image, because the FBI worked with Google to put that image out,” Patel said.

He argued that earlier access to the scene could have accelerated that process and potentially uncovered more information.

“We would have analyzed it within days and maybe gotten better information or more information,” Patel added, suggesting the delay limited what investigators could recover.

Patel also criticized the decision to send DNA collected from the scene to a private laboratory in Florida rather than to the FBI’s facility in Quantico.

“I had a fixed-wing aircraft on the ground ready to move it immediately through the night,” he said, describing how quickly federal teams could have acted.

Instead, he said, the material was sent elsewhere, a move he believes slowed the investigation. “They have jurisdiction, so it’s their call,” Patel said.

Local officials have pushed back on that characterization. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said federal agents were notified and involved from the start.

“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 department said in a statement.

Officials also defended their decision-making around evidence processing, saying the lab used has been working in coordination with federal authorities.

“DNA and video analysis are underway, supported by laboratories across the country,” the department said, highlighting that the investigation remains active and collaborative.

Despite those assurances, the case remains unsolved after more than 90 days.

Nancy Guthrie was last seen on January 31 after being dropped off at her home in the Catalina Foothills.

Investigators believe she was taken during the early morning hours of February 1st, and was reported missing after she did not show up at a friend’s home for a planned event later that day.

Authorities later revealed that Guthrie had a pacemaker that stopped syncing with her Apple Watch the same night she disappeared, raising further concern about her condition.

Days after the disappearance, the FBI released images captured from the home’s doorbell camera showing a man wearing a mask on the porch.

That figure has not been identified, and no suspect has been publicly named.

The prolonged lack of answers has fueled criticism of Sheriff Chris Nanos, who has faced mounting scrutiny over his handling of the case.

The Arizona Republic reported that Nanos previously testified he had never been suspended during his law enforcement career, a claim now being questioned based on records from his time in Texas.

The alleged discrepancy could have implications for his position, with local officials considering whether disciplinary action is warranted.

As the investigation stretches on, new developments have added fresh unease within the community.

A masked individual was recently spotted in Guthrie’s neighborhood driving a gray pickup truck, according to footage captured on a Ring camera.

The person was seen approaching a home and taking items from a front porch before leaving the area.

Residents quickly circulated the video, with some noting similarities between the individual’s appearance and the figure captured outside Guthrie’s home.

Authorities have not confirmed any connection between the incidents but have acknowledged they are reviewing all available information.

Investigators have also been searching for large gray vehicles as part of their efforts, including seizing a Range Rover from a nearby property earlier in the case.

Officials say tips continue to come in as they work to determine what happened.

“Even small details may be significant,” the sheriff’s office said, urging the public to come forward with information.

Meanwhile, Savannah Guthrie and her family have increased the reward for information leading to her mother’s recovery to $1 million.

Guthrie stepped away from her role on the “Today” show for two months during the search before returning in April.

She has publicly expressed concern that her visibility may have played a role in her mother’s disappearance.

“I said, ‘Do you think [it was] because of me?’” Guthrie recalled during an interview. “But we don’t know anything. We don’t know anything.”

“It’s just too much to bear to think that I brought this to her bedside,” she added.

Watch Patel’s full interview on “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” here:

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