Sheriff Nanos Under Fire As Nancy Guthrie Case Hits Day 26

The Nancy Guthrie case entered its 26th day, and across social media, true crime watchers soured when it comes to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos. And, it’s seemingly not without good reason. Read on to find out why many people moved from concern to real anger.

Mired In Controversy

The investigation, which still hasn’t led to any major leads resulting in the arrest and charging of suspects, became deeply mired in controversy. Notably, most of that anger seem directed at the Pima County Sheriff’s Office.

Actually, it becomes obvious that confidence in local law enforcement rapidly dwindles.The case drew national and even international attention among true crime followers because Nancy’s the mom of Savannah Guthrie from the Today show.

At one stage, it seemed progress might happen because of recovered video footage, but that hope seems to be tapering off now.

The Camera Surveillance

According to investigative journalist Brian Entin during a recent “Brian Entin Investigates” podcast, he once again mentioned that it seemed the recordings came from two separate days.

In fact, other mainstream outlets also dished the same information. However, the Pima County Sheriff directly contradicted that on Instagram.

Since then, Entin also talked about how the area around Nancy Guthrie’s home seems set to become a total no-go area for any journalists. So, the best sources of information from a very quiet Sheriff Nanos seem in danger of being muzzled.

Frustration Rises

Frustration peaks as folks see what they perceive to be many issues. One of those issues involves the slow pace of forensic results. Good media sources talked about how Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos opted to send DNA evidence to a private laboratory in Florida.

Notably, people question why he did that, especially as the FBI have their own accredited facility. And, it’s not just armchair sleuths who think the sheriff made an error by doing that.

During another podcast by Entin, former FBI agent Steve Moore raised some concern over the decision. From his experience, he felt that repeated testing and handling by multiple labs could degrade the evidence.

Other Incidents That Annoy

Next up on the naughty list for critics of Nanos, is the fact that he attended a University of Arizona basketball game early in the search. Of course, many critics think he showed indifference to the severity of the crisis.

By now, you probably realize that it seemed so odd that initially, the premises was left unguarded. Anyone could wander around the property. And that seemed shocking as blood was found on the patio.

Only days later, investigators went back and started treating the home as a crime scene.

@true.crime.examined

Many have been calling out the Pima County Sheriff and his team for what they see as the mishandling of the Nancy Guthrie case. #TrueCrimeExamined #TrueCrime #Pima #PimaCounty #NancyGuthrie

♬ Quiet Reflection – Unicorn From

The Cajun Navy

More recently, the apparent inability of the Sheriff’s Office to effectively manage volunteer resources also caused a lot of irritation.The United Cajun Navy, an organization experienced in search and rescue, arrived in Tucson with thermal drones and scent-tracking dogs. However, it looks like they might be mosly  sidelined.

Incident Commander Josh Gill told Brian Entin that they sit in a “holding pattern.” Why? Well, according to him, the sheriff’s office essentially ignored their operational plans. Gill claims that the sheriff’s office was well aware of their plan, which involves following existing “command and control [to] fill in the gaps.”

Internal Conflict

More suggestions of mismanagement seem echoed by internal conflict within the department itself. Sergeant Aaron Cross, president of the Pima County Deputies Organization, was very vocal.

In fact, he criticized the Sheriff’s leadership and mentioned that some experienced employees sit behind desks while a very young team tries to take on one of the most high-profile cases in the county

Notably, it’s also no secret that many people feel the FBI gets pushed aside. So, there are many calls for Nanos to step back and let the real experts take over.

Viewers React With Anger

In the comments section of Entin’s latest video, some viewers again stepped up with their discontent, and that criticism seemed very barbed.

One viewer commented, “This sheriff is an absolute SH*T SHOW.”

Here are a few more angry reactions from the discussion:

• To not even give the leader of Cajun Navy a few face to face minutes is unbelievable.This sheriff seems to be emotionally immature…way over his head!
• This inept, weak and bumbling Sherrif has wanted this whole investigation to be about him from the start. Experts are in agreement that this Sherrif has an ego issue and has severally screwed up this investigation from day one…
• Disappointed with the Sheriffs office.
• Yes! So glad you talk to United Cajun Navy. Have him contact the FBI!!!! Screw the Sheriff! No law enforcement would behave in this manner!!!! Un freaking believable!!!
• Never heard of a police department refusing the help of the Cajun Navy. It’s crazy to me how fragile the sheriff’s ego is.
• Bro, the sheriff bungled this investigation from the jump. Damn shame.

What are your thoughts? Do you think that the Sheriff deserves all the criticism thrown at him as the investigation nearly closes out a full month since the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie?

Sound off in the comments below, and come back here for all your true crime news and updates. Plus, we do have a crime channel on TikTok that you can follow.