TUCSON, Ariz. — Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has clarified that no glove was discovered at Nancy Guthrie’s residence, dispelling rumors of any tension between his department and the FBI.
“We didn’t find a glove at that location,” Nanos affirmed during an interview with Fox News Correspondent Matt Finn on Friday.
In addition, Nanos strongly refuted allegations that his department has been uncooperative with federal authorities.
“That’s simply not true,” he responded when questioned about suggestions of his hesitance to engage the FBI. “Why would we be hesitant to involve partners with excellent resources that could assist us?”
He further stated, “We don’t withhold information that could aid in the investigation. Why would we do that? Our focus is entirely on finding Nancy, and we put egos aside for that purpose.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos addresses the media in Catalina, Arizona, on February 3, regarding the ongoing search for Nancy Guthrie. (Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images)
Nanos said he contacted the FBI the next working day after Guthrie went missing and said that federal agents are embedded with his team.
“They sit right next to the FBI. Come to my office, and I’ll show you — they’re sitting right there with my team,” he said. “They are there every minute of the day, and they want to find her.”
FBI investigators search Catalina Foothills in Tucson, Arizona, Wednesday, February 11, 2026. The investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie continues. (DWS for Fox News Digital)
On the handling of evidence, Nanos defended his department’s decision to use a long-standing private lab rather than splitting evidence between facilities, including the FBI’s crime lab in Quantico, Virginia.
He said the Guthrie family DNA markers and other swabs were already sent to that lab early in the investigation, making it more efficient to continue using the same facility.
“Why split your evidence to two different labs that could create a conflict, but more importantly, it adds that additional step?” he said. “This lab has this piece; this lab has that piece. Now they’ve got to converge those two pieces to make an elimination or identification. No, just send it to one lab, let’s go.”
“They’re both great labs. They both have great equipment and smart people. We trust the FBI’s crime lab. We’ve used them before. But in this case, we just started with this lab,” he said. “It’s just that simple.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos updates media on the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie, in Tucson, Ariz., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (Sejal Govindarao/AP Photo)
Regarding ransom notes, Nanos said the FBI is taking the lead.
“All the ransom stuff we’ve given to the FBI — they’re the experts on that,” he said. “It would be very inappropriate for me to comment on something that I told them to do.”
Authorities “believe it’s a kidnapping,” Nanos said, while saying that investigators are considering all possibilities.
“You always consider all possibilities,” he said. “But yeah, the obvious is what? It is an obvious kidnapping.”
When asked whether anyone has been ruled out, Nanos said investigators may deprioritize individuals but remain open to revisiting leads.
“Nobody’s really ever eliminated,” he said.
A tent was placed over the front entrance to Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Arizona, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. The tent is covering where Guthrie’s blood was found. (Fox Flight Team)
The sheriff also rejected criticism that investigators released the crime scene too soon.
“We remove the evidence, we swab evidence, we take evidence, and we go,” he told Finn. “We got all the evidence that was there to gather.”
Cleaning blood from a scene, he added, “is not what we do.”
Nanos said deputy vehicles currently stationed outside the home are there at the family’s request for security.
Those cars “are there because the family said they can’t — they don’t want to be at the house and they’ve asked, can we provide security, so nobody breaks into the home,” he said.
The FBI released a description of a suspect in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, who was seen in doorbell camera footage before she vanished. (Fox News)
Nancy Guthrie disappearance timeline:
Jan. 31, 2026
- Between 9:30–9:45 p.m. — Family drops Nancy off at home
- 9:50 p.m. — Garage door closes (per authorities)
Feb. 1, 2026
- 1:47 a.m. — Doorbell camera disconnects
- 2:12 a.m. — Security camera detects motion
- 2:28 a.m. — Pacemaker disconnects from phone application
- 11:56 a.m. — Family checks on Nancy after she misses weekly church livestream gathering
- 12:03 p.m. — 911 called
- 12:15 p.m. — Sheriff’s deputies arrive at home
