BREAKING: Pima county sheriff blocking FBI access to key Nancy Guthrie evidence

A federal law enforcement source says the FBI is being prevented from obtaining critical evidence in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, as tensions escalate between federal agents and local authorities in Arizona. According to the source, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has refused to release a glove and DNA evidence recovered from Guthrie’s Tucson home so the materials can be tested at the FBI’s national crime lab in Quantico, Virginia.
 

The first to report on the revelation was Human Events contributor Kevin Posobiec.

Instead, Nanos has pushed to have the evidence analyzed at a private laboratory in Florida, where the department maintains a contract. Roughly $200,000 has already been spent sending materials to that lab, the official said.

“It risks further slowing a case that grows more urgent by the minute,” the official told Reuters, citing earlier setbacks in the investigation. The source also criticized the sheriff for not seeking FBI assistance sooner.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office remains the lead investigative agency. Under standard procedure, the FBI can only take a supporting role if invited by local authorities.

“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.

Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1 and was reported missing later that day. Surveillance footage released this week by the FBI and the sheriff’s office shows a masked individual approaching her front door shortly before she vanished.

The FBI has increased the reward to $100,000 for information leading to her return or an arrest.