The Pima County Sheriff’s Department disagrees, saying the FBI was contacted “promptly” about Guthrie.

Kash Patel doubles down on claims that local authorities in Nancy Guthrie case delayed FBI help: ‘We continue to offer assistance’

The Pima County Sheriff's Department disagrees, saying the FBI was contacted "promptly" about Guthrie.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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June 5, 2026 1:14 p.m. ET

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FBI director Kash Patel; Nancy Guthrie. Credit:

Annabelle Gordon/AFP via Getty; Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

- Kash Patel is doubling down on earlier claims that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had immediately offered its assistance to local authorities in the search for Nancy Guthrie.

- Nancy, the mother of *Today *anchor Savannah Guthrie, was last seen on Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day.

- "We know somebody out there knows," said Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos in a recent interview.

Kash Patel is doubling down on previous claims that the Federal Bureau of Investigation "immediately" offered assistance to, but were shut out by, local authorities in the search for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of *Today** *anchor Savannah Guthrie.

The FBI director said on Friday that the federal agency "showed up immediately" to support the investigation, telling NewsNation that they were "not let in for four days." This is contrary to statements from the Pima County Sheriff's Department that the FBI was promptly notified about the case.

"And that's their choice," Patel said. "We continue to offer assistance. I even visited our Tucson office where we had 150 agents and analysts working on the Nancy Guthrie case to provide intelligence."

Patel also mentioned the evidence they found from Nancy's doorbell camera, calling it "what the FBI is great at."

"We went to our partners at Google and we said, 'Hey, we know that there was a paid subscription service, but let’s go look at the metadata and see if we can find a needle in a needle in a needle in a haystack.' And what do we do? We pull that out," said Patel.

"Same thing with the DNA. We offered our assistance to go test the DNA. And it’s up to them. They chose to use a private laboratory," he added.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos in Tucson, Ariz., in February.

Jan Sonnenmair/Getty

Patel noted that in any child abduction or missing person case, "you need the first 48 hours to hit the ground hard."

"And again, the state and local [agencies] are in charge of that investigation. We, the FBI, don't take ownership of that," he said.

The FBI director concluded that the federal agency continues to offer its assistance now and in the future, but it can work "really well" if state and local law enforcements work together.

Sheriff in Nancy Guthrie case says DNA testing has 'prolonged' investigation

Nancy Guthrie's family is no longer 'personally' in contact with local sheriff investigating her disappearance

In response to Patel's claims, the Pima County Sheriff's Department told ** that "the facts have not changed" since its May 5 statement responding to Patel's initial claims made during an appearance on the *Hang Out With Sean Hannity* podcast.

The statement reads that the sheriff's department was "aware of FBI Director Kash Patel's recent interview and statement."

"Sheriff Nanos responded to the scene the night of the incident, providing immediate local leadership and oversight. A member of the FBI Task Force was also notified and present at that scene working alongside our personnel," the statement reads.

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The department noted that the FBI was informed "promptly" by both local authorities and the Guthrie family. "While the FBI Director was not on scene, coordination with the Bureau began without delay," the statement continued.

Savannah Guthrie/Instagram

Guthrie was last seen the evening of Jan. 31 by family members when she was dropped off at her home in Tucson's Catalina Foothills. She was reported missing the following day. Authorities declared her home a crime scene within days.

While giving an update on the case in a recent interview, four months into the investigation, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos insisted that "somebody out there knows" what happened to Nancy. The Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI urge those with information to contact them at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

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