An Arizona investigator leading the probe into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance reportedly had no prior experience handling homicide cases before taking charge of the unit, according to a source within law enforcement.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has been under intense scrutiny following its unsuccessful efforts to locate the missing 84-year-old, who vanished from her Tucson residence over two months ago.

In an exclusive conversation with NewsNation’s Brian Entin, an anonymous law enforcement insider expressed concerns about the initial response team, citing their lack of preparedness for such a serious case.

“The officers present at the scene were not seasoned homicide detectives,” the source revealed.

“The supervisor, who oversaw the unit, reportedly had never handled a homicide investigation before being appointed to lead the homicide team,” the insider added.

Amid growing criticism of the sheriff’s office, the source also claimed that departmental leaders often favored promoting friends over more qualified candidates, further complicating the investigation.

“You have decisions made by people that will install friends and people that can do stuff for them, opposed to people that are there under merit,” the source said in an interview that is set to air in full on “Katie Pavlich Tonight” at 10 p.m. Thursday.

Nancy is believed to have been snatched from her Tucson home during the early hours of Feb. 1.

Chilling security footage later recovered from her doorbell camera captured a masked man loitering around her doorstep the night police believe she was kidnapped.

The timeline of the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mom:

As the search for the grandmother entered its second month, investigators still hadn’t determined any credible leads or suspects in the case.