Guthrie sheriff accused of spending more time at gym than work
The sheriff in charge of Nancy Guthrie's abduction case has been accused of spending more time in the gym than working on the investigation as the search enters its seventh week.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has come under fire for alleged mishandling of the probe into NBC Today Show host Savannah Guthrie's missing 84-year-old mother.
Nancy was abducted from her $1 million Tucson, Arizona, home in the early hours of February 1, and there have been no arrests or suspects named in the nearly seven weeks since.
Savannah, 54, and her close family have endured continual heartbreak amid a massive but so far fruitless search by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI.
Sheriff accused of neglecting duties amid ongoing case
However, instead of investigating the case, Nanos, 70, has been accused of dedicating more time to exercising at the gym than being at the sheriff's office.
He was spotted by the New York Post at his office only twice for seven hours each day between Friday and Tuesday this past week.
During that same five-day period, the outlet learned that he had hit the gym four times for roughly 90-minute workouts.
Meanwhile, Republican congressional candidate Daniel Butierez recently confirmed to the New York Post that he has initiated the recall process to remove Nanos from office.
Butierez said he has 500 volunteers working to collect at least 120,000 signatures on a petition to fire the sheriff, the first step in a lengthy recall process.
'He has been an embarrassment to Tucson and to Pima County with this Nancy Guthrie case,' the congressional candidate said.
Investigator fears Nancy is likely dead
It comes as an investigator from his office told the Daily Mail that he believes Nancy is likely dead.
‘Is she alive? I think that’s very unlikely,’ a source close to the probe somberly said. ‘Everybody is coming to grips with that.
‘She’s elderly, had health problems and to survive in captivity for so long… we obviously don’t know for sure, but it would be a miracle.’
Savannah previously acknowledged the prospect that her missing mom is dead in a gut-wrenching social media video, saying: 'She may be lost. She may already be gone.’
Nanos has been accused by several sources of ‘locking down’ the probe amid escalating tensions between his team and federal agents.
In particular, he was allegedly keeping key decisions to himself and two of his highest-ranking inner circle, effectively sidelining the small team of relatively inexperienced investigators at his disposal.
One law enforcement source told the Daily Mail that Nanos will 'only let himself or two of his handpicked staffers make decisions on the case.'
Others have said he made crucial errors in the first hours of the search for Nancy.
Butierez told the New York Post that Pima County deputies had wanted to begin the recall process themselves, but they were worried about retaliation from the sheriff.
He added that police in Pima County 'had a unanimous vote of no confidence' in Nanos on Friday.
Butierez has taken up the recall initiative because 'I’m a congressional candidate... and I don’t see Nanos messing with me,' he said.
As the search for Nancy continues, the Guthrie family has announced a $1 million reward to anyone who provides information that leads to the return of their mother.
The FBI has also offered $100,000 for information that leads to Nancy's rescue.
The Daily Mail contacted the Pima County Sheriff's Office for comment.
Chris Nanos faces removal after 'mishandling' kidnapping clues
The sheriff in charge of investigating the abduction of Nancy Guthrie faces being fired from his post as an investigator from his office shares grave fears for her safety.
Republican congressional candidate Daniel Butierez recently confirmed to the New York Post that he has initiated the recall process to remove Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos from office.
Butierez told the outlet that he has 500 volunteers working to collect at least 120,000 signatures on a petition to fire the sheriff, which is the first step in a lengthy recall process to do so.
'He has been an embarrassment to Tucson and to Pima County with this Nancy Guthrie case,' the congressional candidate told the outlet.
It comes as an investigator from his office told the Daily Mail that he believes Nancy is likely dead, reluctantly coming to the dismal outlook more than six weeks after she was abducted from her $1million home.
‘Is she alive? I think that’s very unlikely,’ a source close to the probe somberly said. ‘Everybody is coming to grips with that.
‘She’s elderly, had health problems and to survive in captivity for so long… we obviously don’t know for sure, but it would be a miracle.’
NBC Today co-host Savannah Guthrie previously acknowledged the prospect that her missing 84-year-old mom is dead in a gut-wrenching social media video 24 days into the hunt, saying: 'She may be lost. She may already be gone.’
But this is the first time anyone has revealed the thinking inside the investigation.
Nancy was snatched from her house in the affluent Catalina Foothills area of Tucson, Arizona, in the early hours of Sunday, February 1.
Since that day, Savannah, 54, and her close family have endured continual heartbreak amid an initially massive but so far fruitless search by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI.
Sheriff Chris Nanos – under fire for his handling of the case from the outset – was accused by several sources of ‘locking down’ the probe amid escalating tensions between his team and federal agents.
