{"id":25930,"date":"2026-08-03T08:36:33","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T03:36:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=25930"},"modified":"2026-08-03T08:36:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T03:36:33","slug":"nancy-guthrie-case-haunted-by-sheriffs-possible-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=25930","title":{"rendered":"Nancy Guthrie Case Haunted by Sheriff&#8217;s Possible Mistakes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tAs the investigation into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/nancy-guthrie\/\" id=\"auto-tag_nancy-guthrie_1\" data-tag=\"nancy-guthrie\">Nancy Guthrie<\/a>\u2018s\u00a0kidnapping case crosses the six-month mark, a new report from <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/us-news\/how-savannah-guthrie-lost-mother-nancy-28907a65?st=jVRA7L\" data-type=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/us-news\/how-savannah-guthrie-lost-mother-nancy-28907a65?st=jVRA7L\" target=\"_blank\">The Wall Street Journal<\/a><\/em> is highlighting possible mistakes by the sheriff and lead investigators.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe Pima County Sheriff\u2019s Department, led by Chris Nanos, has been overseeing the investigation after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/savannah-guthrie\/\" id=\"auto-tag_savannah-guthrie_1\" data-tag=\"savannah-guthrie\">Savannah Guthrie<\/a>\u2018s mom was reported missing on Feb. 1. As of Aug. 2, Nancy hasn\u2019t been found and there have been no arrests in the case. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tAfter reviewing personnel files obtained in public records requests and conducting interviews with current and former county and federal officials and people close to the case, the <em>WSJ<\/em> has found that there were concerns from the start of the investigation, including who Nanos appointed head of homicide, Sgt. David Stivers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tAccording to personnel records, Stivers was reprimanded two months before Nancy was kidnapped for \u201cpoor judgment,\u201d as he was blamed for delays securing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/crime\/\" id=\"auto-tag_crime_1\" data-tag=\"crime\">crime<\/a>-scene evidence in a homicide case. The charges in that case were ultimately dropped for insufficient evidence, <em>The Journal<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tWhen it came to Nancy\u2019s case, people familiar with the investigation said Stivers and his detectives ignored the dried blood on her front porch for hours after they arrived on Feb. 1, suspecting that the blood came from some unrelated cause. \u201cThey failed to seal off the property with police tape to protect sensitive crime-scene evidence, allowing reporters, livestreamers, and Amazon and pizza delivery drivers entry to the porch,\u201d the <em>WSJ<\/em> wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tAfter undergoing DNA analysis, the blood samples were later confirmed to be Nancy\u2019s. It\u2019s now believed to be connected to her kidnapping.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe <em>WSJ<\/em> later reported that Nanos promoted Stivers to lieutenant in July. The new role will reportedly take effect in September.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tLt. Heather Lappin \u2014 Nanos\u2019 opponent in the November 2024 election, where he was running for reelection (he ultimately won after a recount) \u2014 told <em><a data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-features\/sheriff-chris-nanos-nancy-guthrie-heather-lappin-interview-1236514000\/\" data-type=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-features\/sheriff-chris-nanos-nancy-guthrie-heather-lappin-interview-1236514000\/\">The Hollywood Reporter <\/a><\/em>in February that Nanos had removed some of the department\u2019s best detectives because they supported her election campaign. \u201cA lot of the Guthrie case is just consequences of his really bad decision-making, the years of decimating his units,\u201d she told <em>THR<\/em> at the time. \u201cThree of our best homicide detectives, probably in [all of] southern Arizona, were removed from Homicide because they supported me [in the election].\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tPeople familiar with the matter also told the <em>Journal <\/em>that Nanos put Lappin on administrative leave weeks before Election Day and sidelined deputies who had supported Lappin after being reelected.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe department\u2019s senior pilot, who had backed Nanos\u2019 challenger in the election, was also demoted to patrol duty days before Nancy\u2019s kidnapping following a workplace complaint.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThis led to more delays in the investigation on Feb. 1, as the department struggled for hours to find a flight deputy to operate its search-and-rescue plane, a $1.7 million Cessna surveillance aircraft, equipped with both infrared and zoom-lens cameras. Flight data reviewed by <em>The Journal<\/em> showed that by the time the plane got up in the air to begin its search, it was getting too dark to use its zoom-lens cameras.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe <em>WSJ <\/em>said that Nanos has disputed its findings. \u201cI can assure everybody that we are working hard every day with all of our partners,\u201d the sheriff said, including \u201ccorporate America,\u201d which has \u201coffered up some assistance with some of the brightest minds in this country.\u201d He added, \u201cThis case is not cold.\u201d <em>THR<\/em> has also reached out to the Pima County Sheriff\u2019s Department for comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tIn addition to coming under fire from his own department, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/news\/politics-news\/nancy-guthrie-sheriff-chris-nanos-accused-perjury-fraud-1236547055\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/news\/politics-news\/nancy-guthrie-sheriff-chris-nanos-accused-perjury-fraud-1236547055\/\">Nanos was accused in March of hiding an extensive disciplinary record<\/a>, the sheriff has also been criticized by Federal Bureau of Investigation Director\u00a0Kash Patel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tNeither Nanos and Patel has announced any further breaks in Nancy\u2019s case, despite the latter also promising early on to lead the charge on the federal side. In May, during an interview on Sean Hannity\u2019s\u00a0<em>Hang Out with Sean Hannity<\/em>\u00a0podcast, Patel accused Nanos of sidelining FBI agents early in the investigation. \u201cFor four days, we were kept out of the investigation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe sheriff pushed back against those claims in an interview, stating that there weren\u2019t any delays. If Patel \u201creally believes that we tried to block them or keep them out of this or not share things,\u201d Nanos said, \u201cI, 100 percent, want him to call me because that\u2019s the furthest from the truth.\u201d According to <em>The Journal<\/em>, Nanos said he has never spoken to Patel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThroughout the case, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-news\/savannah-guthrie-plea-answers-nancy-ransom-notes-release-1236661449\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-news\/savannah-guthrie-plea-answers-nancy-ransom-notes-release-1236661449\/\">Savannah has continued to take to social media<\/a>, pleading for answers in her mom\u2019s disappearance. On Saturday, after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-news\/nancy-guthrie-ransom-notes-released-sheriff-chris-nanos-1236661130\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-news\/nancy-guthrie-ransom-notes-released-sheriff-chris-nanos-1236661130\/\">Nanos released a pair of ransom notes<\/a> initially sent to the CBS affiliate in her home city of Tucson, Arizona, the <em>Today<\/em>\u00a0co-anchor asked that anyone with information come forward.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cWe are begging for help. We are desperate. We need someone to come forward,\u201d Savannah wrote on Instagram. \u201cSomeone knows something. Someone suspects something. Someone recognizes the writing in the ransom demand notes. Someone has noticed something different, strange, troubling or just unusual \u2014 perhaps with someone they deeply love. Perhaps they are afraid to come forward. Perhaps they are conflicted. Perhaps they are angry or upset for being in this situation. There is a way out \u2014 to tell what you know. You can do so anonymously. The reward is available.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe Pima County Sheriff\u2019s Department\u00a0said the notes \u201cpurport to have been written by kidnappers.\u201d The second note, which was sent to the CBS affiliate on Feb. 6, stated that Nancy \u201cperished shortly after she was taken. We believe it was heart related. She is buried in nature now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tAuthorities said they decided to share the ransom notes publicly in hopes that someone recognizes \u201cdistinctive patterns of word choice, syntax and phraseology that reflect the writer\u2019s unique linguistic style.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the investigation into Nancy Guthrie\u2018s\u00a0kidnapping case crosses the six-month mark, a new report from The Wall Street Journal is highlighting possible mistakes by the sheriff and lead investigators. The Pima County Sheriff\u2019s Department, led by Chris Nanos, has been overseeing the investigation after Savannah Guthrie\u2018s mom was reported missing on Feb. 1. As of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2259244627-H-2026.jpg?w=1296&h=730&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}