Sheriff criticized for ‘cringe’ video after bungling Guthrie probe

An Arizona sheriff’s department facing criticism over its handling of Nancy Guthrie’s abduction investigation is being ridiculed after releasing a Halloween video featuring officials dressed as characters from Paw Patrol.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who oversees the search for Guthrie, appeared in the 90-second social media video wearing dog ears and a canine costume.

Playing Chase, the German Shepherd police dog from the children’s animated series, Nanos announced: “We have a problem in Pima County we call Pima Paw Patrol.”

The sheriff then filled a patrol car with candy and Paw Patrol decorations before telling viewers, “Good thing no county is too big or dog too small.”

Guthrie, 84, vanished on February 1 after she was allegedly abducted from her home in the Catalina Foothills near Tucson.

By Friday, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department appeared to have disabled comments on the Paw Patrol-themed post.

The apparent restriction did little to stop online backlash, with users criticizing the department for sharing a playful Halloween clip while Guthrie’s disappearance remains unresolved.

“Day 257: Have no fear, the Pima County Paw Patrol is here to help find Nancy Guthrie!” one person wrote on X on Friday.

Another commenter who said they lived in Pima County described the sheriff’s performance as “so embarrassing.”

Others called the video “beyond disturbing,” with one adding, “There was no chance poor Nancy Guthrie would be found!”

“Just do your job,” a third critic wrote. “What the hell is this cringe performance trying to achieve?”

Nanos wore a painted dog nose in the footage and took part in a series of exaggerated, cartoon-style exchanges.

During one moment, a woman appearing alongside him seemed to bark at the sheriff.

The video was not connected to the investigation into Guthrie’s disappearance. Instead, it was intended to promote a Halloween event organized by the sheriff’s department for October 24.

Even so, social media users seized on the clip as another opportunity to question Nanos’ handling of the case.

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“At this point the cartoon Paw Patrol is better qualified to find Nancy than that dufus!” one critic wrote.

Another commenter mocked the department, saying, “These people couldn’t find a piece of hay in a haystack.”

Nanos became a controversial figure after Guthrie’s abduction earlier this year.

Claims surfaced early in the investigation that he had withheld evidence from the FBI, which he categorically denied as ‘not even close to the truth.’

In July, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office released two ransom notes believed to be genuine.

One of the notes alleged Guthrie died shortly after being kidnapped and was ‘buried in nature now.’

Both notes initially were sent to Tucson television station 13 News days after the 84-year-old went missing.

The notes, received on February 2 and February 6, both claimed to be from Nancy’s captor and were turned over to the Pima County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI.

Nanos said then that it was unclear if the notes had been written by the same person, calling the investigation ‘very active.’ 

Guthrie was last seen on January 31 after having dinner with her daughter Annie that evening and being driven home by son-in-law Tommaso Cioni, who dropped her off around 9.50pm.

At 1.47am, a masked individual was captured outside Guthrie’s home. He disabled the home’s doorbell camera that captured him.

Less than an hour later, Guthrie’s monitoring app disconnected from her phone.

Investigators believe that could be the moment when Guthrie was removed from her home.

Her disappearance was reported the following day by family members after she failed to attend a church service.

Drops of blood were found on the front porch of Guthrie’s home, and authorities believe that she was kidnapped.