Nearly seven months after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Arizona home, the investigation remains unresolved—and new allegations from an insider within the Pima County Sheriff’s Department are raising questions about how the case was handled from the very beginning.

Nancy, the mother of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was last seen on January 31, 2026. Investigators believe she was taken against her will from her Tucson-area home, but no suspect has been publicly charged in connection with her disappearance.

Questions about the early investigation
Sergeant Aaron Cross, president of the Pima County Deputies Organization, has publicly criticized the department’s handling of the investigation.

According to Cross, one of the biggest concerns was the level of experience among detectives ᴀssigned to the case. He said the lead investigator had recently been promoted and had no previous homicide-investigation experience, while several other investigators reportedly had only a few years of experience working homicide cases.

Cross also alleged that the investigation suffered from poor communication, duplicated efforts and a lack of clear coordination during its early stages.

The insider further questioned why the crime scene was not protected more aggressively. According to the allegations, the Guthrie residence was returned to the family relatively early, potentially raising concerns about the preservation of evidence.

Tension between local investigators and the FBI
Another issue reportedly involved friction between the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI.

The FBI became heavily involved in the case and eventually recovered important surveillance footage showing a masked individual near Nancy’s home. However, disagreements reportedly emerged over the handling and processing of physical evidence.

Earlier reporting by Reuters said the FBI requested that certain evidence—including a glove and DNA material recovered from Nancy’s home—be sent to its national crime laboratory in Quantico. Sheriff Chris Nanos instead insisted on using a private laboratory in Florida.

The extent to which these disagreements affected the investigation remains unclear.

Sheriff defends the investigation
Sheriff Chris Nanos has rejected the idea that the investigation has stalled.

At the six-month mark, Nanos said investigators had continued analyzing DNA, surveillance footage and information from the public. He acknowledged that authorities were not where they wanted to be but insisted that progress was being made.

“We are not giving up,” Nanos said, emphasizing that the case is not considered cold.

Still, frustration has grown as months have pᴀssed without a suspect or definitive answer. A source close to the investigation previously described increasing pressure to solve the case, noting that there were still no major leads publicly identified.

New evidence, but no breakthrough
Investigators have recovered multiple pieces of potential evidence from Nancy’s home, including DNA and surveillance footage.

Authorities have also released ransom notes connected to the case in an effort to generate new leads. The authenticity and significance of information contained in those messages have remained subjects of investigation.

More recently, human remains were discovered in a remote desert area approximately 15 miles from Nancy’s home. However, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said there was no indication that the remains were connected to Nancy’s disappearance.

A family still waiting for answers
For Nancy’s family, the pᴀssage of time has only intensified the uncertainty.

Her daughter Savannah has repeatedly appealed to the public for information, while the family continues to offer a $1 million reward for information that could help locate Nancy or determine what happened to her.

Nearly seven months after her disappearance, investigators continue to search for answers. But the latest allegations have added another troubling dimension to an already difficult case: whether crucial opportunities to preserve evidence and develop leads may have been lost during the earliest hours of the investigation.

For now, that question remains unresolved—as does the central mystery of where Nancy Guthrie is and who was responsible for her disappearance.

Source: New York Post