Twelve days have now passed since 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Catalina Foothills home, and while investigators have yet to announce a major breakthrough, a stunning development behind the scenes is raising serious questions about how the case is being handled.
Nancy Guthrie — a mother and grandmother — was last seen on the night of January 31 around 9:45 p.m., after being dropped off at her residence by her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, the husband of her eldest daughter, Annie. Since then, law enforcement officials have been working to piece together what happened. Yet instead of clarity, the investigation appears to be entering a new phase of tension — not between suspects and detectives, but between agencies.
The Pima County Sheriff is blocking FBI from accessing key evidence in the Nancy Guthrie investigation, hampering the bureau’s ability to assist in the case, an FBI official tells @NewsNation @LibbeyDean_.
— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) February 13, 2026
According to a Reuters report, a federal law enforcement official claims that the Pima County Sheriff’s Office has blocked the FBI from accessing and processing key physical evidence in the case. Among the items reportedly withheld are a glove and DNA evidence collected from Guthrie’s home — materials the FBI had requested be analyzed at its national crime laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.
Instead, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has allegedly chosen to send the evidence to a private forensic laboratory in Florida. The decision, according to the unnamed federal official, has impaired the FBI’s ability to assist meaningfully in the investigation. Reuters further reported that the county has already spent approximately $200,000 outsourcing the forensic work.
RADIO SILENCE: A high-level FBI source tells Fox News Digital the handling of the Nancy Guthrie case has been “insane.” The source says the Pima County Sheriff's Office never requested FBI assistance — the FBI reached out first. The agency joined the case late and was only… pic.twitter.com/k5NU5dPBEt
— Fox News US (@FoxUSNews) February 13, 2026
The jurisdictional reality complicates matters. Because the Pima County Sheriff’s Office holds primary authority over the investigation, the FBI cannot intervene without an official request from the county. Without that formal invitation, federal investigators are legally sidelined.
NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin confirmed that an FBI source echoed Reuters’ reporting, describing the situation bluntly: “It’s insane.” Fox News similarly cited a source who said the FBI’s current level of access has been “minimal.”
Sheriff Nanos sent a glove recovered from INSIDE the home to a private lab in Florida rather than the FBI’s lab in Virginia, according to the source.
The feds will likely need to re-test themselves, wasting time. https://t.co/EWmhCPHekK
— Michael Ruiz (@mikerreports) February 13, 2026
The alleged decision to sidestep federal assistance comes amid scrutiny over the early handling of the case. Critics have questioned whether procedural missteps or delays hampered initial efforts. The latest revelation has only intensified that scrutiny, particularly as time continues to pass without resolution.
After destroying the integrity of the crime scene, Sheriff Nanos is doing this. https://t.co/OjmvxvrUlg
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) February 13, 2026
Meanwhile, the FBI’s Phoenix field office has increased the reward tied to information in the case and released updated forensic details regarding a potential suspect captured on doorbell camera footage. After analysis by the FBI’s Operational Technology Division, the individual is described as a male approximately 5’9” to 5’10” tall with an average build, wearing a black 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack” backpack.