The search for missing person Nancy Guthrie is now under scrutiny as allegations mount against the sheriff leading the investigation, accusing him of mishandling the critical early phases.

Insiders from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department have informed the Daily Mail that Sheriff Chris Nanos made several errors that hampered the initial response. These missteps reportedly include poor crime scene management and inconsistent public communications.

It has come to light that during the initial hours of the investigation, a key search-and-rescue aircraft was not deployed when it was urgently needed.

Sources report that Sheriff Nanos’ team did not utilize their fixed-wing Cessna aircraft, known as Survey 1, during the crucial early stage after Nancy was reported missing from her Tucson, Arizona home on Sunday.

This aircraft, equipped with advanced thermal imaging cameras designed to cover large desert areas, remained grounded for approximately half a day. In situations like these, every minute is vital and can be the difference between life and death.

Sergeant Aaron Cross, president of the Pima County Sheriff’s Deputies Association, stated that the aircraft is “the most valuable law enforcement asset in southern Arizona.”

Nancy, mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was abducted from her home in the Catalina Foothills at around 2am on Sunday. She was reported missing shortly before noon after failing to appear at church.

The alleged delay in getting the surveillance aircraft airborne was not caused by mechanical issues or weather, but by staffing shortages that left the department without qualified pilots to fly the plane – a shortage sources blame directly on Nanos.

Sheriff Chris Nanos has come under fire for what critics say is a botched investigation 

Nancy Guthrie, pictured above with Savannah in 2021, was last seen on Saturday night

Cross and county GOP chairwoman Kathleen Winn told the Mail that trained aviators who could have crewed the aircraft had been transferred out of the Air Operations Unit in recent weeks.

One was a 17-year veteran pilot allegedly reassigned for disciplinary reasons the week before Guthrie disappeared. Another had been moved out of the unit in November 2025. Nanos did not fill the positions.

As a result, Survey 1 could not take off until approximately 5pm Sunday – long after the most critical window for locating a missing person had passed.

‘This left the department without a crew to respond to the search due to short staffing,’ Winn said.

‘If they had somebody who could fly that plane, they could have probably found her instantly if she was out in the desert.

‘The most important, crucial hours and minutes right after someone is missing – we’ve lost those.’

A helicopter was deployed instead but lacked the sophisticated sensors and thermal imaging technology aboard Survey 1.

The allegations have added fuel to growing criticism of Nanos’ handling of the case, which has drawn national attention, triggered federal involvement at the direction of President Donald Trump and ignited fierce local backlash.

The Survey 1 aircraft – seen here in a promotional video from Pima County police – is crucial in missing persons cases

It has high-tech cameras on board that scan the desert terrain from the sky (this picture is not related to the Guthrie search)

The FBI announced Thursday it is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Guthrie’s recovery or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.

Matt Heinz, a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors and a physician, told the Daily Mail that failing to get the plane airborne may have cost investigators vital opportunities.

‘The initial few hours of any kind of search like this are absolutely crucial,’ Heinz said.

‘So not having every asset at disposal for the search within the first few hours — is that going to have an impact? I cannot be sure, but it certainly doesn’t look or sound good.’

Nanos’ department did not respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment on the aircraft allegations.

He has previously dismissed criticism of his leadership style, saying he holds staff to high standards.

He has portrayed lawsuits against him from Cross and others as part of a politically motivated campaign. Cross sued Nanos in 2024 after he was placed on administrative leave for staging a protest against the sheriff. The case is ongoing.

But critics argue the aircraft delay is just one symptom of deeper dysfunction inside a department they say has been hollowed out by years of poor leadership, retaliatory discipline and collapsing morale.

A dedicated team of pilots and technicians operate the aircraft – but it was delayed in launching on Sunday (this picture is not related to the Guthrie search)

It remained on the tarmac for roughly half a day, sources said, losing police crucial time (this picture is not related to the Guthrie search)

According to Cross, more than half of the county’s 195 patrol officers are currently on probation – a figure he described as ‘highly unusual’ and indicative of staffing instability. The Daily Mail was not able to independently verify that figure.

A former sheriff’s department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that assessment, saying Nanos ‘leads by intimidation and coercion.’

‘He belittles people. He screams at people. If you render an opinion contrary to his, you might be ostracized or transferred,’ the former official said.

The same source said experienced deputies and detectives have been pushed out or reassigned to unfamiliar units, draining institutional knowledge at a time when it was desperately needed.

Winn said insiders told her that low morale and staffing gaps in homicide and other investigative units ‘badly hampered the initial stages of the investigation’ into Guthrie’s disappearance.

Those concerns have been amplified by what many see as a series of public missteps by Nanos himself.

In multiple press conferences, the sheriff has apologized for delays, walked back statements made during television interviews and acknowledged his limited experience operating under intense national scrutiny.

At one briefing, he said Guthrie was ‘harmed at the home’ and taken from her bed, before later saying he had misspoken.

The fixed-wing planes are used for nighttime patrol, search-and-rescue, surveillance and support (this picture is not related to the Guthrie search)

PCSD has two fixed-wing search planes in active service – typically flown nightly over the county’s vast 9,000-square-mile area (this picture is not related to the Guthrie search)

On Thursday, Nanos failed to instill confidence when asked about potential suspects and motives, replying: ‘Your guess work is as good as mine.’

There were also questions about his professionalism at a press conference on Tuesday when the sheriff teared up while discussing details of the case.

But experts one of the most damning missteps came when the sheriff’s office officially returned Guthrie’s home to the family on Tuesday – only to re-enter it the following day to collect additional evidence, prompting confusion and criticism.

Greg Rogers, a 30-year FBI veteran, warned that evidence gathered during a second search could face serious legal challenges.

‘Once you let the family back in, almost anything they discover after that isn’t going to be admissible in court,’ Rogers said.

‘It causes a real chain-of-custody issue with who touched what. A good defense counsel is going to be able to eviscerate anything.’

The former Pima County deputy said many officers are embarrassed by the department’s public performance.

‘Everybody’s quite frankly embarrassed,’ he said. ‘He is inarticulate. He looks foolish on TV. He does not inspire confidence in the public.’

Nancy Guthrie was last seen on January 31, when family members dropped her off at her residence near Tucson after dinner. She was reported missing around noon the following day.

A department helicopter that was deployed lacked the advanced cameras found in other aircraft 

Authorities believe Nancy was taken from her home sometime late Saturday or early Sunday. Pictured here is Nancy’s secluded Arizona home 

Savannah and her siblings, Annie and Camron, released a video on Wednesday night pleading for their mother’s return 

Authorities say Guthrie has severely limited mobility and could not have left her home unassisted. A dispatcher noted she suffers from high blood pressure, heart issues and has a pacemaker.

Investigators later confirmed that blood found on the porch steps at the front door belonged to Guthrie, based on DNA testing.

A timeline compiled by authorities shows her doorbell camera was disabled and her pacemaker monitoring app disconnected from its telephone link in the early hours of Sunday morning – when investigators believe she was abducted.

Despite those developments, no suspect or person of interest has been publicly identified.

‘We’re just not there yet,’ Nanos told reporters at a Thursday briefing.

Online, public frustration has boiled over. On local Facebook groups such as Crime in Tucson, Arizona, residents have unleashed blistering criticism of the sheriff.

‘He’s a moron. Exposed on national TV,’ one user wrote.

‘We tried to vote him out, but he has so many crime friends and family in this county that it outweighs all of us that want him gone,’ another added.

Nanos, a Democrat and 50-year law enforcement veteran, is no stranger to controversy in politically polarized Pima County.

He won reelection in 2024 by a razor-thin margin of just 481 votes, defeating an opponent he had placed on administrative leave during the campaign.

Earlier that same year, deputies delivered a stunning rebuke: a 98.8 percent vote of no confidence, citing a ‘toxic, retaliatory workplace,’ mismanagement and a lack of competent leadership.