President Trump said Friday that the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie was slowed because the local sheriff’s department “didn’t want to let go” of the case – but that “progress has been made” now that the FBI is involved.
“Well, they took it over originally, that was a local case originally,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
“They didn’t want to let go of it, which is fine; it’s up to them. It’s really up to the community. But ultimately, when the FBI got involved, I think, you know, progress has been made.” “Complicated,” he added.
When asked by reporters if he believes Mexican cartels or a foreign country is involved in Guthrie’s disappearance, he said: “You can’t say that yet; it’s a little bit early, but it’s, uh, somebody either knew what they were doing very well or they were rank amateurs. Either way, it’s not a good situation.”
Trump’s remarks came amid growing scrutiny of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, after reports suggested federal investigators were delayed in gaining access to key evidence in the high-profile case involving the mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos denied these allegations.
A law enforcement official told Reuters that the FBI requested a glove and DNA collected from Guthrie’s to be processed at the bureau’s national crime lab in Quantico, Virginia.
However, Nanos has instead insisted on using a private Florida lab, effectively denying the FBI access to crucial evidence, the official said.
The sheriff has primary jurisdiction over the case and FBI assistance must be officially requested by the county, otherwise the FBI is legally precluded from taking part in the investigation. The official said that the county has spent some $200,000 so far to send evidence in the Guthrie case to the Florida lab.
“It risks further slowing a case that grows more urgent by the minute,” the official argued, citing unspecified “earlier setbacks” in the investigation.
The official also criticized the sheriff for not seeking FBI assistance in the investigation sooner.
“It’s clear the fastest path to answers is leveraging federal resources and technology. Anything less only prolongs the Guthrie family’s grief and the community’s wait for justice,” the official said.
In an interview with KVOA, Nanos pushed back and said the FBI agreed with his decision to send newly discovered evidence to a lab that has worked with his office for years.
He called the claims “not even close to the truth” and said he discussed the matter directly with the FBI.
Signs of friction between the FBI and sheriff’s department emerged as the search for Guthrie stretched into its 12th day, as investigators intensified their search for clues in the presumed kidnapping for ransom
Earlier this week, the case saw its biggest break with the release of newly recovered surveillance footage showing a masked individual on Nancy Guthrie’s porch the night she disappeared.
The FBI said the newly released images were recovered from residual backend data from the doorbell camera after days of searching for footage that may have been lost or corrupted.
The video shows a person wearing a backpack and gloves approaching the front door and attempting to cover a security camera with plants. The individual appeared to be armed with a holster at their waist.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president reacted with “pure disgust” after reviewing the video.
“I was once again with the president. He and I were both reviewing the newly released surveillance footage from FBI in the Savannah Guthrie case on just this heartbreaking situation with respect to her mother,” Leavitt told reporters. “His initial reaction, of course, is of pure disgust,” she added.
Leavitt urged the public to contact the FBI with any information.
“The president encourages any American across the country with any knowledge of this suspect to please call the FBI, who continue to assist state and local authorities, who are leading this investigation on the ground,” she said on Tuesday.
Guthrie’s family continues to publicly plead for her safe return.
