The frantic search for abducted Nancy Guthrie is being run by a sheriff’s unit of just six homicide detectives with limited major-case experience, according to a veteran insider at the Pima County Sheriff’s Department who spoke to the Daily Mail.
The source said the lead investigator has less than two years handling homicide cases, while the most experienced detective on the team has only about three years in that role. The insider described internal turmoil as the high-profile case stretches into its second week with no publicly named suspects.
The criticism has intensified around Sheriff Chris Nanos, who has faced questions about leadership as unverified ransom notes demanding millions in bitcoin were sent to media outlets. The scrutiny sharpened after photos surfaced showing Nanos attending a college basketball game over the weekend, eight days after the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie vanished from her $1 million foothills home in Tucson.
“The group that is tasked with this incredibly high-profile and critically urgent investigation is very small,” the insider said. “It’s six detectives from homicide, which is part of the violent crime section, and the overall case detective has less than two years in that specialism.”
The source blamed the situation on department leadership, saying experienced detectives were available but sidelined. “The irony is that experienced detectives are available to Nanos, but they’ve been thrown out of homicide,” the insider said, adding that two veteran investigators were reassigned to cold cases and are now hovering outside the core team.
Tucson’s relatively low homicide rate has compounded the problem, the source said. “This isn’t Los Angeles or New York. We don’t have hundreds of homicides a year,” the insider said. “So it takes a long time for a homicide detective here to develop the necessary experience for big cases.”
The insider also said the current homicide sergeant has never worked a homicide case as a detective, leaving a captain to effectively steer the investigation as federal agents take on a more visible role. At a recent press conference, the FBI appeared to play a central role in fielding questions.
“I wish the Feds would take it over officially,” the source said. “It’s clear our leadership and this unit are way out over their skis on this one.”
Investigators have returned to Guthrie’s home multiple times, removing items including a wired camera, a blue Subaru SUV and a broken floodlight. On Sunday, they were seen searching the property’s septic tank. Each time, the home was taped off and then released, a move the insider warned could jeopardize any future prosecution.
“This means there is no chain of custody,” the source said. “Anyone could have walked up to the property, tampered with things, removed things.”
As concerns mounted, Savannah Guthrie released a second emotional video appeal to her mother’s captors, flanked by her siblings. “We received your message and we understand,” she said. “We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay.”
Her plea came as questions persisted about early missteps, including delays in deploying the department’s high-tech search aircraft after Nancy Guthrie was reported missing. Insiders said staffing shortages left the plane grounded for hours, costing investigators valuable time during the critical initial search window.
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