Goochland Sheriff Draws Backlash Over Handling of Nancy Guthrie Disappearance

Nancy Guthrie, 84, the mother of NBC "Today" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was last seen after being dropped off at her Catalina Foothills home on Jan. 31 and was reported missing when she did not show up for church on Feb. 1. The disappearance has prompted a multiagency response and growing public scrutiny of Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos’s handling of the probe.

Investigators from the Pima County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI are involved in the search, and officials say they are reviewing Ring camera footage that captured a vehicle authorities have not yet identified. Law enforcement has logged multiple leads, with reports that "hundreds of investigators" have taken part in the effort; investigators have also described recent visits to the Guthrie home by mysterious vehicles reportedly carrying a briefcase, and law enforcement personnel were observed standing on the front porch during the early stages of the inquiry.

The investigation’s public profile widened as Sheriff Nanos gave a 13-minute interview to a television investigator and offered extended comments in media interviews. Nanos defended his office’s coordination with federal partners, saying his staff have long been assigned to federal task forces and that the agencies have a "great working relationship." He rejected assertions his office blocked federal access, saying, "To suggest the sheriff blocked evidence is just crazy," and explaining the decision to use a private Florida DNA lab was made "for consistency" and to "keep related evidence together."

Still, internal criticism has surfaced. Sergeant Aaron Cross, president of the Pima County Deputies Organization, said, "It is a common belief in this agency that this case has become an ego case for Sheriff Nanos." Anonymous departmental sources have been more pointed, saying, "The sheriff turned a serious investigation into a rolling spectacle, from questionable decisions to shifting narratives and a disastrous media cleanup tour that raised more questions than it answered." Other unnamed insiders allege decision-making authority has been limited to Nanos and two senior officers, naming Chief Jesus Lopez and Captain Juan Carlos Navarro as the only officials with full say — a structure those sources describe as "incredibly unusual" when the FBI is involved.

Outside experts have also criticized public messaging. Michael Gould, a retired Nassau County lieutenant and founder of the NYPD canine unit, said the sheriff has "created confusion and fueled conspiracy theories," and he singled out communication — including media interviews — as a problem for the department.

Sheriff Nanos has publicly defended both his choices and his record. He told critics, "People out there can get pretty ugly and mean and nasty and not have the facts. I tell my journalists, you guys need to be a little more responsible… because that's just really nasty stuff." He has also pushed back against speculation about family members and urged restraint, noting the Guthrie family has been "very cooperative with the investigation." Nanos has cited what he described on social media as a "100% homicide solve rate over the past five years" as evidence of his office’s effectiveness.

The case has also produced disputed details circulating in public discourse — social-media accusations against son-in-law Tommaso Cioni after he and his wife Annie reportedly dined with Nancy the night before she disappeared, references to a "bone-chilling" video tied to a suspect, and a fragmentary report noting "two recent deaths" in the county without further specifics. Investigators continue to review physical evidence, video and DNA leads as the search — now reported to have entered its third week — presses on amid sharp public debate over whether centralizing decisions with Nanos and two senior officers has aided or hampered progress.