Nancy Guthrie update: Forensic expert hits out at Arizona officials, echoing FBI criticism

In early May, Kash Patel, director of the FBI, went on record saying local officials in Arizona shut the agency out of the investigation for the first four days.

"For four days, we were kept out of the investigation," he said on Sean Hannity's podcast.

He continued, "The first 48 hours of anyone's disappearance are the most critical."

However, the Pima County Sheriff's Office denied Patel's characterization of the events.

Still, Joseph Scott Morgan somewhat supported the FBI head's view.

He is a professor and part of the well-renowned forensic department of Jacksonville State University.

According to him, the investigations lacked urgency at the start.

This alleged lack of priority had a detrimental effect on the disappearance case.

“I really wonder how this plays into other cases," Morgan said.

He told Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, “With no so elevated persons, let’s say, for instance, in this jurisdiction."

Allegedly, because local officials were less urgent, it became a misery for Nancy's family, Morgan said, and it does for ordinary victims, too.

"Who else is out there that’s suffering, that has missing family members or crimes that have gone unsolved?

“You look back at this right here, and this is a glaring example of problems,” he added.

Despite the alleged errors in the investigation, Morgan is still hopeful.

“I’m just hoping that they’re going to be able to address these problems," he noted.

Nancy has been missing from her home since Feb. 1, and she was last seen on January 31.