Nancy Guthrie Update: Sheriff's Department Releases New Statement

Since Nancy Guthrie first disappeared, the investigation into the disappearance of Today show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother has been heavily criticized. One of the people who has spoken out about how the case was handled in the early days is FBI Director Kash Patel. Now, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department has released a new statement pushing back on his claims and pointing out something noteworthy that many observers have missed.

Pima County Sheriff’s Department Pushes Back on Kash Patel’s Claims in New Statement

On July 23, 2026, Kash Patel spoke to Fox News Digital about the Nancy Guthrie case. The FBI Director has repeatedly stated that the Pima County Sheriff’s Department kept the agency out of the investigation for four days. During his discussion, he claimed that digital evidence may have been lost due to that delay.

“We were looking for the needle of all needles in all haystacks, because since she didn’t pay for it, they didn’t record that data. But there was a chance that it was located in their cache just before it was being deleted.”

The following day, AZPM (Arizona Public Media), which has ties to NPR and PBS, reported that the Pima County Sheriff’s Department provided the outlet with a statement. The report’s description of that statement, which it didn’t quote, was unremarkable at first. Similar to the PCSD’s past comments on similar remarks from Patel, they began by claiming they looped the FBI in on the first day of the case. However, the sheriff’s department then went further to refute Patel’s claim than they had in the past.

According to AZPM, the department’s statement also pointed to a press conference held the day after Nancy disappeared. “The Sheriff’s Department also pointed to a press conference that was held the following Monday, Feb. 2, one day after Guthrie was reported missing, in which FBI officials from Tucson and Phoenix were present and spoke.”

The obvious implication is that the FBI’s involvement in that press conference refutes the timeline Director Patel has repeated several times. As timelines of the case note, Nancy’s disappearance was first reported to the police on February 1, meaning that the press conference took place the day after the investigation began.

It is also worth noting that on February 3, 2026, a high-level FBI agent spoke to the press about the case alongside Sheriff Chris Nanos. Less than four days after Nancy went missing, FBI Assistant Special Agent-In-Charge Jon Edwards described how the agency was working on the investigation at that time.

“We want the community to know that the FBI is doing everything in our power to bring Nancy Guthrie home to her family. The FBI is working alongside the Pima County Sheriff’s Department on this incident. In terms of what the FBI is doing, we are providing the following support. Primarily, it’s analytical and technical support in the following ways. We’re downloading and analyzing cell phones, obtaining cell tower information, conducting interviews, and providing any and all investigative support that the sheriff’s department needs.”

Edwards continued, “We are looking at this from every angle, but we need your help. If you live in the area or saw something on Saturday night, the 31st of January, or Sunday morning, the 1st of February, please report it to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Every lead and tip is important. We are aggressively pursuing and looking into every single one. Again, please help us bring Nancy Guthrie home. Thank you.”

Next: Nancy Guthrie Update: Sheriff Nanos Gives Detailed Interview