An Arizona sheriff is blocking FBI access to key evidence in the ongoing investigation into the abduction of U.S. journalist Savannah Guthrie’s mother, 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, according to a U.S. law enforcement official familiar with the case. The dispute is delaying the FBI’s ability to assist, raising concerns over the pace of the investigation.
The FBI had requested physical evidence from Nancy Guthrie’s home in Pima County, including a glove and DNA samples, to be processed at its national crime laboratory in Quantico, Virginia. However, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has insisted the evidence be sent to a private laboratory in Florida instead. Outsourcing forensic analysis to the Florida contractor, effectively denying federal access, has delayed the bureau’s involvement, according to the official.
A spokesperson for the sheriff did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In a daily press update, the sheriff’s department said investigators had “recovered several items of evidence, including gloves,” and that all viable evidence is being submitted for analysis, though no further details were provided.
The sheriff’s office maintains primary jurisdiction over the case, and FBI assistance must be officially requested; without such a request, federal agents are legally barred from participating. The county has reportedly spent around $200,000 to send evidence to the Florida lab. The law enforcement official told Reuters that this approach risks further slowing a case that has already faced “earlier setbacks” and is growing increasingly urgent.
The official also criticized the sheriff for not seeking FBI involvement sooner, saying, “It’s clear the fastest path to answers is leveraging federal resources and technology. Anything less only prolongs the Guthrie family’s grief and the community’s wait for justice.”
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on January 31 when her family dropped her off at home after an evening dinner. Relatives reported her missing the following day, and the search, now in its 12th day, continues as investigators intensify efforts to locate the presumed kidnapping victim. Signs of friction between the FBI and the sheriff’s department have emerged amid the ongoing probe, highlighting tensions in the handling of this high-profile case.
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