The sheriff’s office spearheading the search for Nancy Guthrie has delivered a stern message to private search groups eager to assist in the investigation.

Nancy Guthrie, aged 84, was last seen on January 31, with authorities suspecting she was abducted from her Tucson, Arizona residence in the early hours of February 1.

As the search for the mother of NBC Today show host Savannah Guthrie enters its third week, law enforcement has yet to make any arrests or uncover substantial leads.

Although volunteers are eager to contribute to the search, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office has clearly stated that their involvement is not desired.

On Saturday evening, the sheriff’s department issued a cautionary statement, urging amateur investigators to allow the professionals to conduct their work unobstructed.

“We appreciate their concern, and we all want to find Nancy, but this work is best left to professionals,” the sheriff emphasized in a statement shared on social media.

‘PCSD has volunteer opportunities if they wish to get involved with the department.’

The statement also urged volunteers to keep private property laws in mind and ask permission before searching a resident’s property. 

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department, led by Chris Nanos, pictured above on February 13, issued a warning to volunteer search groups online to give investigators space as they investigate Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance 

Nancy Guthrie, pictured here with her daughter, Today show host Savannah Guthrie in 2015, has been missing since February 1 

The massive search is in its 21st day. No arrests have been made but the FBI has uncovered previously lost surveillance footage of a masked individual disabling Nancy’s front door security camera on the night she disappeared, pictured above 

Many social media users flocked to the comment section to express confusion and frustration over the sheriff’s warning. 

‘Thousands of Search Parties have been formed to help get fresh eyes on and search for missing persons. Elizabeth Smart, JonBenet Ramsey, Jodi Parrack, Lucy Ann Johnson,’ one commenter argued. 

‘Why are y’all blocking efforts, and trying to take on more than you can obviously chew? Ego? Insider intel?’

‘When have you hired professional searchers to look for Nancy? The public wants to find her, but you tell them to stay home?’ another argued. 

‘Any Sherriff would embrace the public’s help, and organize something. Sherriff Nanos, You’re hurting the search and taking hope away from your community!’

‘So when are the professionals showing up?’ a third sarcastically asked. 

The high-profile investigation has put the Tucson-based sheriff’s department under a microscope, with a media frenzy tracking every move law enforcement makes. 

The increased attention has resulted in scrutiny of Sheriff Chris Nanos and allegations that his department made crucial mistakes during the search. 

DNA evidence was sent to a private testing facility in Florida rather than the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s lab in Quantico, Virginia, prompting a backlash from law enforcement experts. 

The sheriff’s department has been met with increased scrutiny during the highly-publicized case. Deputies are pictured above on February 18 combing the neighborhood for clues 

Nanos maintained that the decision was the best for the investigation and explained that the department had a longstanding relationship with the Florida lab. 

However, Former Chief Deputy Richard Kastigar Jr, who retired in 2023 after serving in the Pima County Sheriff’s Department alongside Nanos for years, recently told the Daily Mail that his former colleague is a ‘quintessential micromanager’ who is ‘not effective.’ 

‘This case should have been turned over to the FBI two weeks ago and the sheriff’s department should have followed and supported them,’ Kastigar said. 

Speaking about Nanos’ decision to send evidence to the Florida lab, Kastigar argued: ‘All the evidence should have gone to Quantico from the beginning.’

‘Chris is keeping this tight inner circle and not letting anyone in because he’s unwilling to turn the investigation over to the FBI, so he can tightly control it himself.’

Police sources close to Nanos revealed in a recent Daily Mail exclusive that the sheriff has ‘locked down’ the investigation and insisted that decisions on the case be made by himself and two of his highest-ranking officers. 

‘Everybody else is being told what to do, no one else has a say so or an opinion. It’s just three men making the decisions,’ one law enforcement source told the Daily Mail. 

The source added that the decision was ‘incredibly unusual,’ especially considering that the FBI has joined the case.

‘All the other detectives are out there busting their butts and doing all they can, but those three people are making the ultimate decisions after everyone reports back to them,’ the source continued. 

‘It’s limited to the thought processes of three men. They’re keeping everything from the FBI – they just aren’t sharing.’ 

Police sources previously told the Daily Mail that they believe Nanos has ‘locked down’ the investigation. He’s pictured above speaking to reporters alongside FBI Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke on February 5 

Multiple people have been detained and released during the investigation, but no arrests have been made. Nancy and Savannah are pictured above in an undated photo 

Kastigar suggested that Nanos was unwilling to turn the case over to the FBI, adding that the sheriff had ‘great disdain’ for the federal bureau because they investigated his department in 2016. 

‘If it’s only Chris and three people handling it, that’s ludicrous. Pima County doesn’t have the experience and resources to handle a story that at this point may have gone international,’ he added.

Law enforcement officials have denied any rifts between the sheriff’s department and the FBI, maintaining that they’re working together to find Nancy.

The desperate search is on its 21st day. There have been several glimmers of hope in the investigation, but they later appeared to be dead ends. 

Last Saturday, a massive SWAT raid descended on a nearby home in Tucson, and authorities were seen searching a grey Range Rover. 

Law enforcement detained multiple individuals, but they were all subsequently released, and no arrests were made. 

Multiple gloves have also been recovered near Nancy’s property. A Tucson couple told local NBC affiliate, KVOA-TV, on Friday that they found a bloody glove and a rock with a dried blood droplet near Nancy’s home in Catalina Hills on Friday. 

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office said in a media email on Saturday that all DNA evidence has been submitted for analysis and there were no updates on the results. 

Law enforcement also confirmed that multiple gloves have been recovered from the area and have been sent for analysis. 

Savannah and her siblings have issued multiple video messages to their mother’s alleged captor, pleading for Nancy’s safe return and for the public to submit any information that could potentially help.

Former Chief Deputy Richard Kastigar Jr, pictured right, called Sheriff Chris Nanos a ‘quintessential micromanager’

The FBI previously released the chilling surveillance camera footage of a masked individual, who was later named as a suspect in Nancy’s kidnapping. The suspect is believed to be a man, approximately 5’9” – 5’10” tall, with an average build, and was spotted with a black backpack

Multiple ransom notes have allegedly been sent to local Tucson news stations and TMZ. It’s unclear if the notes have been verified and if they’re all from the same sender. 

Perhaps the most important evidence recovered thus far was previously lost surveillance camera footage from the night Nancy disappeared. 

The chilling video depicted a masked individual disabling the front door camera around the time investigators believe Nancy was kidnapped. 

The FBI has said the suspect is believed to be a man, approximately 5’9” – 5’10” tall, with an average build, and was spotted with a black backpack the night Nancy disappeared.