On Thursday night, news broke that the Pima County Sheriff's Office was essentially choosing to deny requests from the FBI to review and process "key" physical evidence from the Nancy Guthrie case, with Sheriff Chris Nanos opting instead to send it to a Florida lab rather than the FBI's in Quantico, Virginia.
FBI sources told Reuters that a glove and DNA allegedly found in the 84-year-old missing Arizona woman's Catalina Foothills home were among the physical evidence that the FBI was not given access to by the sheriff, with those officials telling the news outlet that such decisions were impeding progress in the investigation into Guthrie's mysterious disappearance.
Additionally, one source told Fox News that the access that the FBI had been given by Nanos was "minimal." NewsNation shared that an FBI source relayed to them that it was "insane" for Nanos not to be taking advantage of the help the FBI was offering.
READ MORE: Report: Pima County Sheriff Pulls Stunt in Nancy Guthrie Case That Has the FBI Fuming
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In response to reports of friction between his office and the FBI, Nanos has pushed back, telling Fox News reporter Matt Finn that there was a simple explanation for why he sent the evidence to the Florida lab instead of Quantico:
Nanos claims his office has been using the same contracted private lab for decades, long before he was in office. He says his office started sending the Guthrie evidence to this lab from the start and that the GUTHRIE FAMILY DNA and OTHER DNA SWABS are there too — so it makes sense to keep sending the incoming evidence there so that the lab can immediately run the new evidence against what is already in house. Nanos claims the FBI was on board with this. He says why split evidence between the private lab and Quantico. “We trust the FBI’s crime lab, we’ve used them before, but in this case we started with that lab. It’s just that simple.”
While it's unclear exactly what day the FBI stepped in to offer help, President Trump announced on February 4, three days after Nancy Guthrie was reported missing, that he was offering any and all federal resources Pima County might need to assist in locating her. FBI Director Kash Patel was reported as heading to Tucson that same day.
In the same Fox News interview, Nanos disputed any suggestion that they don't have a good working relationship with the FBI, and also countered claims that they never called the FBI after Guthrie was abducted:
Nanos claims he is working together WELL WITH THE FBI, claims he would have NO REASON not to seek their help and partnership. “Absolutely crazy,” that he wouldn’t use their partnerships.
Nanos claims he called the FBI the next working day, the Monday after Nancy went missing. He shoots down claims he was reluctant to include the FBI and says for example they quickly let the FBI take the lead on the ransom notes because the FBI is better at that with their technology.
Perhaps most interestingly from the interview, Nanos denied the FBI source's allegation that a glove was found inside Nancy Guthrie's home, saying "that they found a few different gloves in the area. Some miles away" but that "they are not necessarily prioritizing every glove — for example they’re getting calls of gloves in Phoenix a long ways away."
And though Nanos chided people who were speculating about possible family involvement in Guthrie's disappearance, he stated he would not rule out any possibility:
“Nobody is ever really eliminated” when asked if anyone has been ruled out.
Meanwhile, Trump was asked about why the FBI hadn't taken over the investigation, perhaps not understanding that Pima would have to "officially request" it from them first, which obviously hasn't happened. Here was Trump's response:
"They didn't want to let go of it, which is fine. It's up to them. It's really up to the communities," Trump told reporters outside the White House Friday afternoon. "But ultimately, when the FBI got involved, I think, you know, progress has been made."
Watch:
🚨WATCH: President Trump takes reporter questions and explains why FBI hasn’t taken over Nancy Guthrie case. pic.twitter.com/zHykkAP4j2
— Outnumbered (@OutnumberedFNC) February 13, 2026
Anyone with information is urged to contact the sheriff's office tip line at 520-351-4900 or 1-800-CALL-FBI. They can also report tips to http://tips.fbi.gov.
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