Was the Feds’ involvement delayed? Shocking claims surface in Nancy Guthrie abduction case

Investigators are grappling with the unique and treacherous terrain of the Tucson area as the hunt for Nancy Guthrie continues. 

Law enforcement consultant Dave Smith, a retired lieutenant with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, highlights why the landscape is a detective’s nightmare. 

Just blocks from Guthrie’s Catalina Foothills home are desert washes-natural drainage arroyos that act as a dense, green “alleys’ through wealthy neighborhoods. These areas are thick with brush making it nearly impossible to see someone even a few yards away.

Beyond the city limits, Arizona stretches for miles in every direction. Smith notes that this vast, rugged environment-combined with the transitory nature of evidence-presents a monumental challenge for search teams.

The whole Tucson Valley is literally built around these arroyos, these ephemeral rivers,” he said. “This is literally your green belt here, only instead of parks and things like the rest of the nation has, we have this wonderful desert area. But again, it works between houses. It's like a giant alley through the neighborhoods."

Retired Lt. Dave Smith notes that the Arizona environment is hostile to forensics. Rain washes away footprints in the desert washes, and the intense sun quickly degrades biological evidence. 

Smith believes the abduction was carried out with specific intent and suggests the victim may have been taken across the border to Nogales, Mexico. 

While the Arizona side is small, the Mexican side is a massive urban center of 300,000 people, making it an ideal “haven” to hide.

A public feud has erupted between Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and FBI Director Kash Patel regarding the timeline of federal involvement. Patel alleges the Bureau was not invited to assist for several days, during which time the crime scene was released and contaminated by journalists and delivery drivers walking through blood spatter on the porch as reported by the Fox news.

“We would have analyzed it within days and maybe gotten better information or more information, “Patel said. “Our lab's just better than any other private lab out there, and we didn't get a chance to do that.”

“My personal theory is, if Mexico was suspected, that would make it a federal investigation," Smith said. “There seemed to be a great deal of effort to keep the feds out of this case. And the best way to do it was to deny any possibility of interstate or international transport of the person's body or kidnapping.”

Sheriff Chris Nanos insists coordination was immediate, claiming an FBI Task Force member was on-site from the beginning and that their labs are currently collaborating. 

Smith suggests there may have been a conscious effort by local authorities to keep the case from becoming a federal investigation by downplaying the possibility that Guthrie was transported across state or international lines.

Despite the FBI recently contacting Mexican authorities, no suspects have been named. 

Two men were detained and released early in the investigation, and the 84-year-old’s whereabouts remain a mystery more than three months later. The Guthrie family is offering $1 million for information leading to Nancy’s safe return.