A masked gunman showed up at an 84-year-old woman's door in the middle of the night and took her – 40 days ago.
Now Sheriff Chris Nanos is going on television warning the public that the kidnapper could strike again.
He won't say who's at risk – just that everyone might be.
Nancy Guthrie Is Still Missing and Sheriff Nanos Still Has No Answers
Nanos told NBC this week that the suspect could "absolutely" strike again.
He knows the motive – he just won't share it publicly.
He believes the crime was targeted – but says you could still be a victim.
That is not leadership.
That is a man who lit a fire in a crowded room and then walked out without pointing to the exit.
Retired FBI supervisory agent Jason Pack said what most investigators would never say publicly about a colleague: if you're going to warn the public that a predator is still out there, you better be able to tell them something useful.
"Once you put that out there, every person watching wants to know who's at risk and what they ought to do about it," Pack told Fox News Digital.
Nanos couldn't answer either question.
Forty Days Into the Nancy Guthrie Investigation and No Suspects Named
Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her Tucson home on the night of January 31.
A masked man with a gun appeared at her door in the early morning hours of February 1.
He knocked out her doorbell camera.
He may have jammed the internet signal in her neighborhood – investigators confirmed a suspicious outage around the time she vanished.
Her pacemaker disconnected from her phone at 2:28 a.m.
That was the last electronic trace of a grandmother who couldn't walk 50 yards on her own.
Bloodstains. Forced entry. Ransom notes demanding millions in cryptocurrency.
Forty days later – no arrests, no suspects named publicly, no persons of interest identified.
The DNA pulled from the scene was sent to a private Florida lab instead of the FBI's world-class facility in Quantico, Virginia.
It came back mixed – meaning it may take months to unravel.
Sheriff Nanos Resume Scandal Surfaces as Search for Nancy Guthrie Drags Into Week Six
While Nancy's family filmed heartbreak videos pleading for their mother's return, Nanos was photographed at an Arizona Wildcats basketball game.
While the FBI was offering its full resources, Nanos reportedly clashed with the bureau over jurisdiction and evidence handling.
While the nonprofit United Cajun Navy submitted a detailed 41-page plan offering dozens of search dogs and advanced drone technology, Nanos still hasn't signed off.
Now comes the resume.
Records obtained by the Arizona Republic show Nanos didn't leave his first law enforcement job at the El Paso Police Department voluntarily.
He resigned in 1982 to avoid being fired – after disciplinary violations including insubordination, excessive force, and off-duty gambling.
His publicly posted resume claimed he stayed with El Paso until 1984.
When the Arizona Republic asked him about it, Nanos called it a "hit piece" and compared the inquiry to asking about his high school principal.
His department finally corrected the dates, calling them "clerical errors."
They didn't address the disciplinary history at all.
Ninety-eight percent of his own department's deputies have reportedly given Nanos a no-confidence vote – meaning the people who work for him every day want him gone.
Why Kash Patel and the FBI Should Take Over the Nancy Guthrie Case
Kash Patel was on Fox in February confirming the FBI was actively running down persons of interest.
Patel understands what's at stake.
The FBI has the DNA lab, the forensic resources, the interagency databases, and decades of kidnapping expertise.
Nanos has a corrected resume and a public warning with no useful information attached.
Every hour this case sits without real leadership is an hour that a frightened family gets closer to the worst phone call of their lives.
Sheriff Nanos needs to step down today, and Kash Patel should make sure he does.
Sources:
- Michael Ruiz, "Sheriff warns Nancy Guthrie suspect could 'absolutely' strike again, hints at motive," Fox News, March 13, 2026.
- Michael Ruiz, "Sheriff running Nancy Guthrie case responds after report reveals unseemly exit from first policing job," Fox News, March 11, 2026.
- Michael Ruiz, "Pima County Sheriff warns of DNA tech issues in Nancy Guthrie case," Fox News, February 22, 2026.
- Staff, "Nancy Guthrie disappearance: Day 39 latest updates," Fox 10 Phoenix, March 11, 2026.
- Staff, "Major mistakes made by Sheriff Nanos in Nancy Guthrie investigation," NewsNation, March 12, 2026.
