The sheriff heading the investigation into the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie has made a startling admission about his relationship with the Guthrie family.
More than 100 days have passed since Guthrie, 84, the mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, vanished from her Tucson, Arizona home.
On Monday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos revealed in an interview with People that he is no longer in touch with the Guthrie family.
“I personally am not,” Nanos told the outlet, adding that he has left communication with the family to his detectives and the FBI. “If they need the family for anything, they get in touch with them and the family. It works both ways.”
Savannah, 54, has publicly spoken out about her mother’s disappearance, posting emotional appeals for information on social media and urging her mother’s kidnappers to safely return her. She and her two siblings have offered a $1 million reward for information that leads to Nancy’s recovery or an arrest, as the case has stalled with no suspects identified or charged.
It’s unclear when and why Nanos and the Guthrie family stopped communicating directly. On Feb. 6, six days after Nancy’s disappearance, the sheriff told People that he had been in regular contact with Savannah.
“We text or, every now and then a phone call,” Nanos said at the time. “But no, I’ve not even sat down with her face-to-face. She’s got a lot on her plate.”
He added, “The FBI and my detectives and those, they’ve been talking with her face-to-face. She doesn’t need to talk to me.”
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on Nanos’ interview.
The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Daily Beast has also reached out to representatives for Savannah.
The investigation appears to have hit a standstill. There have been no new leads in months, sources told Page Six last week, beyond a single strand of hair, a glove discovered near Nancy’s home, and the doorbell footage showing an armed, masked man at her door the night of her disappearance.
Those close to the family are reportedly growing frustrated with the lack of progress in the case as they return to their everyday lives, including Savannah, who has resumed co-hosting duties on Today.
Nanos, however, told People that he believes the case will be solved.
“My team, I’ve said all along, they’re gonna solve this,” he said. “I fully 100 percent believe that.”
“When you have the best minds of the country working on problems, I think they’re gonna solve them,” he continued. “It just takes a while.”
