Nancy Guthrie case update: Sheriff Chris Nanos responds to Kash Patel’s criticism

Nancy Guthrie’s, the 84-year-old mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie, case is nowhere near to be solved despite months-long investigation by Pima Country officials.

Nancy’s kidnapping case took another dramatic turn when FBI Director Kash Patel called out the Arizona sheriff over futile investigation and poor handling of DNA evidence that could be a major breakthrough in the mysterious abduction.

Talking with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on podcast Hang Out with Sean Hannity, Patel also criticized sheriff Chris Nanos for his handling of the disappearance of Nancy from her Tucson home.

“For four days we were kept out of the investigation,” Patel said.

According to Patel, Nanos sidelined the FBI by not only dismissing federal agents but also rejecting an offer to speed up DNA testing at Quantico. Because time was lost due to initial resistance, early stage investigation has been jeopardized.

According to Patel, the FBI even prepared the plane to rush the evidence to the military hub in Virginia, but Nanos snubbed this decision and sent it to a private lab in Florida.

“We would have analyzed it within days and maybe gotten better information or more information,” the FBI boss said.

“Our labs are just better than any other private lab out there and we didn’t get a chance to do that. So, I understand everybody’s frustrations on that.”

Soon after Patel’s claims, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department responded and denied these claims, stating the local authorities started working immediately with the FBI.

The statement said,“Sheriff Nanos responded to the scene the night of the incident, providing immediate local leadership and oversight. A member of the FBI Task Force was also notified and present at that scene working alongside our personnel.”

As per official statement, both the FBI and sheriff’s department have been working closely on the case in order to carry out "thorough, coordinated, and fact-based investigation.”

Nancy Guthrie has been missing from her Arizona home since February 1 under mysterious circumstances.