Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is clapping back at all the critics — and denying a certain major development ever happened in the case of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance!
The sheriff sat down for an interview with FOX’s Matt Finn on Friday to address what is going on with the kidnapping investigation, including what was found this week inside Savannah Guthrie’s mom’s home! As we previously reported, camera footage showed that the suspect seen outside her home was wearing gloves, and there have since been several found around Arizona and sent off for testing.
Related: What’s The Deal With The Pool Cleaners At Nancy Guthrie’s House? Sheriff Says…
But the biggest possible breakthrough to come so far? NewsNation reported that police discovered a glove inside Nancy’s house! That’s major! However, Nanos now tells FOX that it is NOT true! He said:
“We have no glove. We never found a glove on that property.”
Just when you thought the police found something useful! Ugh! There have been a few different gloves found in the area, but Nanos explained they are not prioritizing every single one. For instance, the cops are getting calls about gloves in Phoenix, which is nearly 2 hours away from Tucson. So, they are too worried about a tip like that.
Nanos had more to say about the investigation from there, specifically about all the heat he has been facing! He reportedly made a few mistakes early in the case, like releasing the house, which is a crime scene, too soon. Nanos insists “it’s not true,” and it is a “slap on his team” to say they left early. The reality is, according to the sheriff, they got what they needed, and the deputy cars are only out front of the home at the request of the family and for safety, not because they released the house too fast.
As for the other big issue people are having with the case right now? An FBI official claimed this week that Nanos BLOCKED federal agents from accessing all the crucial evidence, making it hard for them to help in the investigation at this time. The sheriff reportedly is not even using the FBI’s labs in Quantico for testing and sending the evidence to a private lab in Florida instead. His move will ultimately slow down the investigation, as the FBI will now need to retest the evidence through their labs once it’s back from the Sunshine State.
Nanos is defending himself (again), though. He claimed his office has been using that lab for decades — even before he became sheriff. Once his team found evidence regarding Nancy’s disappearance, including the Guthrie family DNA and other DNA swabs, they sent them to this lab. He feels it makes sense to continue sending any incoming evidence there so that the lab can run the new evidence against what was found already in the house. According to Nanos, the FBI agreed with him on this decision. He added:
“We trust the FBI’s crime lab, we’ve used them before, but in this case we started with that lab. It’s just that simple.”
Nanos also insisted he’s working well with the FBI, and it’s “absolutely crazy” that he wouldn’t use their help. Giving a timeline of their involvement, he shared that he called the FBI on the next working day, so the Monday after Nancy went missing. Any claims that he was reluctant to get the FBI involved are false, he said. In fact, to prove how willing he was to work with the agency, he pointed out that he let them take the lead on the ransom notes since they have better technology. FYI, he won’t comment on those notes or their legitimacy at this time. He continued:
“You google what you google. You read what you read. I’ve got no response. I’ve always had a good relationship with the FBI. They’re a good team. They’re good people.”
Let’s hope what he is saying is true. The important thing here, at the end of the day, is that Nancy is found. Speaking of which, when asked if this is really an abduction, Nanos said that “we believe it’s a kidnapping,” but you “always consider all possibilities.” As for whether anyone has been ruled out, he stressed that “nobody is ever really eliminated.” But he is satisfied with the alibi of Carlos Alberto Palazuelos, who was detained in Rio Rico in connection with the disappearance of Nancy, at this time.
While no one is fully ruled out, Nanos also made it clear that everyone in the Guthrie family has been cooperating with investigators. Cops previously insisted Nancy’s son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, is not considered a suspect at this time, despite a jaw-dropping report from Ashleigh Banfield. And Nanos pointed out not to accuse anyone of anything with “facts” to support it:
“The family has been fully, 100% completely, whatever we asked for they’ve done. It was getting crazy out there with allegations about the family. You can’t accuse people of a horrific crime like that and not have any facts behind it.”
Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Tell us in the comments (below).
The FBI has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of Nancy Guthrie, and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance. Authorities have encouraged anyone with information or tips to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, 88-CRIME or tips.fbi.gov. You can also contact the Pima County Sheriff’s office by calling 520-351-4900 or submitting a tip HERE.
[Image via Savannah Guthrie/Instagram, WAAY 31 News/YouTube]
