Kash Patel Criticizes Arizona Sheriff’s Handling of Nancy Guthrie Investigation
FBI Director Kash Patel has expressed frustration with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s handling of the Nancy Guthrie investigation, alleging that the department kept the FBI out of the case for four days. Guthrie, the mother of “Today” cohost Savannah Guthrie, is suspected of being abducted from her Catalina Foothills home north of Tucson on February 1.
Patel appeared on Sean Hannity’s podcast, where he stated that the Sheriff’s Department had jurisdiction over the investigation but refused to allow the FBI to assist. “They did,” Patel replied when Hannity asked if the department had kept the FBI out of the investigation. Patel acknowledged that the FBI had offered its support, but was initially rebuffed.
FBI Obtains Crucial Footage
Once the FBI was allowed to assist in the investigation, it obtained footage from Guthrie’s Google Nest camera, which captured a masked man believed to have abducted Guthrie from her home. Patel claimed that if the FBI had been involved sooner, the video would have been released closer to Guthrie’s abduction, and potentially more footage could have been recovered from Google’s servers.
Questions Raised About Sheriff’s Department’s Decision-Making
Hannity questioned why the Sheriff’s Department didn’t ask for the FBI’s help sooner, and why it sent DNA evidence to a lab in Florida instead of Quantico. Patel replied that the Sheriff’s Department told him it was sending the evidence to Florida, and that he had a fixed-wing aircraft on the ground, ready to move it immediately through the night.
Sheriff’s Department Responds
The Sheriff’s Department has disputed Patel’s claims, stating that the FBI was involved in the investigation from the beginning. Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Brittany Abarr said that the department’s decision to send DNA evidence to a Florida lab was based on “operational needs” and that the FBI Laboratory in Quantico and the Florida lab have worked together in the analysis of evidence.
Case Update
Nancy Guthrie has been missing for three months, and the investigation is ongoing. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI continue to work together to find Guthrie and bring those responsible for her abduction to justice.
For more information on this case, follow @PerryVandell on X, formerly known as Twitter. If you have any tips or information about Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, please contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at (520) 351-4900.
Related Articles
- Guthrie, lies and old laws: Why the Sheriff Nanos case is so complex
- Pima County Board of Supervisors scrutinizes Sheriff Nanos over misrepresentation of his police history
- Nancy Guthrie’s family pleads for her safe return as investigation continues
Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.
