Nancy Guthrie sheriff says he has NO REGRETS about his handling of abduction of Savannah's mom
The sheriff who led the bungled search for Nancy Guthrie says he has 'no regrets' over his handling of the case, despite failing to find the abducted grandmother or arrest any suspects.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos insisted in an interview published Tuesday by News4 Tucson that he is unapologetic about the unsolved case.
'Look, I have no regrets about my team and their efforts,' Nanos said.
Asked if the search 'went the way you wanted it to go', Nanos responded: 'Yes absolutely.'
The sheriff brushed off allegations that he mishandled the crime scene at the 84-year-old's Tucson, Arizona home or botched the case, appearing to blame huge media attention for confusing the investigation.
'I don’t regret we let the crime scene go too soon or any of that,' he said. 'That's just silly.'
Nanos added that he has not given up hope that he could solve the case, saying his investigators are still looking at 'cell tower dumps and analyzing her cell phone.'
In a message directed at Nancy's at-large abductors, Nanos appeared to indicate he believes she may still be alive, telling the suspects: 'Just give her up. Just let her go. Just take her to a clinic, a hospital, drop her off... just let her go.'
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has brushed off allegations that he bungled the search for Nancy Guthrie and insisted he has 'no regrets' about how he handled the search, despite failing to find the abducted grandmother or arrest any suspects
Nanos's remarks come as the sheriff has faced mounting scrutiny over the ongoing search, as he was accused of being out of his depth in the sprawling investigation.
Nancy was taken from her home on the night of February 1, with surveillance footage from her doorbell camera later showing a masked suspect appearing to break into her property in the middle of the night.
Investigators found key evidence including blood droplets at her door and several gloves around her home, but authorities were unable to link any DNA evidence or items to any suspects.
The search also saw two individuals briefly apprehended 10 days and 13 days into the investigation, only for them both to be released without charges after it was found they were not connected to the case.
Pima County Deputies Organization president Aaron Cross told The New York Post that authorities in the county have grown frustrated with Nanos's leadership, saying it is 'a common belief in this agency that this case has become an ego case for Sheriff Nanos.'
Soon after news of Nancy's abduction made national headlines, her Today Show host daughter Savannah Guthrie reportedly wanted to issue a big reward to boost leads for her mother.
But Nanos was accused of stopping the family from doing so, fearing that an influx of tips could muddy his investigation, sources told Fox News in February.
Savannah eventually did issue the reward 24 days into the search, with the case remaining unsolved ever since.
Nancy was taken from her home on the night of February 1, leading to a desperate search and appeals for help from her Today Show host daughter Savannah Guthrie
Surveillance footage from Nancy's doorbell camera showed a masked man appearing to break into her property in the middle of the night, but no suspects have been arrested or publicly identified
In the early hours of the case, Nanos also allegedly failed to deploy a crucial search-and-rescue aircraft, grounding the vital device when it was needed most.
The aircraft, equipped with high-resolution thermal imaging cameras capable of scanning vast swaths of desert terrain, remained on the tarmac for roughly half a day, sources said, despite a situation in which every minute can make a difference.
During the first five days of the investigation, Nanos and his deputies released and re-sealed the crime scene several times, leading to claims that evidence may have been lost or contaminated.
The sheriff dismissed these claims in his latest interview, saying, 'I don’t regret we let the crime scene go too soon or any of that,' he said. 'That's just silly.'
As the case floundered a week into Nancy's disappearance, and with the eyes of the nation on Nanos, the sheriff was also criticized for going to a basketball game while others carried on the search.
Law enforcement staked outside Nancy Guthrie's home in Tucson, Arizona for over a month, scouring the desert area around her property in vain
As the case floundered a week into Nancy's disappearance, and with the eyes of the nation on Nanos, he was also criticized for going to a basketball game while others carried on the search
Earlier this month, Nanos was also slapped with a lawsuit from a former inmate in the Pima County jail, who claimed the sheriff 'endangered his life' while in custody.
Michael Marx, 54, filed a lawsuit against him on March 5, alleging that Nanos and the Pima County Sheriff's Department violated the Declaration of Rights, accusing them of threatening his safety and 'cruel and unusual punishment.'
According to The Hill, a sheriff's deputy was working and moving between Marx's unit and another, which was in quarantine after an inmate contracted COVID-19.
'This deputy was going back and forth working both units … our unit was on lockdown because this deputy was working both units,' Marx wrote in the $1.35 million lawsuit obtained by the Daily Mail.
The filing accused the unidentified deputy of failing to disinfect himself while working and even serving meals between the quarantined unit and Marx's unit.
He said the deputy 'put my life in jeopardy with their action, constantly.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to Pima County Sheriff's Department for comment.
