The Pima County sheriff’s decision to send key Guthrie case evidence to a private Florida lab rather than the FBI’s Quantico facility has sparked outrage and confusion among federal investigators and the public, raising questions about jurisdiction, transparency, and the speed of the probe into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.

Report: Pima County Sheriff Pulls Stunt in Nancy Guthrie Case That Has the FBI Fuming

Thursday marked the 12th day of the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother and grandmother who was last seen the night of January 31, around 9:45 p.m. local time, after being dropped off at her Catalina Foothills home by her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, who is the husband of Mrs. Guthrie’s eldest daughter, Annie. Local authorities have continued search and review operations while family members and public attention grow.

There were no announced breakthroughs on who might have taken Nancy or where she might be, but a procedural fight over forensic work has become a major point of contention. Reports say the Pima County Sheriff’s Office has refused to send physical items, including what was described as a glove and DNA samples, to the FBI’s national lab in Quantico, choosing a private contractor in Florida instead.

An Arizona sheriff is blocking FBI access to key evidence in the investigation into the abduction of U.S. television journalist Savannah Guthrie’s mother, impairing its ability to assist in the probe, a U.S. law enforcement official with knowledge of the case told Reuters on Thursday.

The FBI asked Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos for physical evidence in the case, including a glove and DNA from the home of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, to be processed at the FBI’s national crime laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, but Nanos has insisted instead on using a private lab in Florida, the official said.

Outsourcing forensic analysis to a Florida contractor, effectively denying the access of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to crucial evidence in the case, is delaying the FBI ability to assist in the case, according to the official.

The move has frustrated federal agents who say access to the evidence is critical for timely analysis and coordination. The FBI can only get involved when a local agency requests help, and that authority rests with Pima County officials, which complicates federal oversight and involvement.

The Pima County 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 the county has spent some $200,000 so far to send evidence in the Guthrie case to the the Florida lab.

NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin said an FBI source confirmed the denial of full access to the evidence. The same source was blunt about how federal agents view the situation. “It’s insane,” the source also .

Fox News reported that the FBI has been given only minimal access so far, a limitation that agents argue slows critical forensic work and coordination between agencies. The dispute has drawn attention because the early stages of this investigation were already criticized for missteps and unclear communication.

The choice to use an out-of-state private lab has people asking why local officials would bypass the federal lab when Quantico offers centralized expertise and established protocols that aid cross-jurisdictional cases. Commentators and some observers have pointed to longstanding complaints about the Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s competence and conduct.

Early on into the investigation, Pavlich , “FYI, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department is notoriously corrupt and incompetent. Spans decades.” Such public accusations have only intensified scrutiny on how the case is being handled at the county level.

Meanwhile, the FBI’s Phoenix office has increased the reward for information and released more identifying details about a suspect captured on video.

New identifying details about the suspect in the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie have been confirmed after a forensic analysis of the doorbell camera footage by the FBI’s Operational Technology Division. 

The suspect is described as a male, approximately 5’9” – 5’10” tall, with an average build. In the video, he is wearing a black, 25-liter ‘Ozark Trail Hiker Pack’ backpack.

The Bureau also asked the public to help by providing tips through its official channels. They urged people to “Continue to submit information to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov to help us bring Nancy home.”

As the forensic tug-of-war plays out, investigators continue to sift through doorbell footage, witness statements, and other leads. The family and the community remain on edge, and federal agents say quicker, cooperative access to physical evidence would improve the pace of the investigation and the chances of finding Nancy alive.