Nancy Guthrie Case Shocker: Kash Patel Claims Pima County Law Enforcement Blocked FBI From Investigation for Days
Kash Patel explained the FBI's involvement in the search for Nancy Guthrie.
May 5 2026, Published 6:22 p.m. ET
More than three months into the search for Nancy Guthrie, FBI Director Kash Patel attempted to set the record straight on his department's involvement in the high profile case, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
On May 5, during an appearance on Hang Out with Sean Hannity, Patel, 46, claimed Pima County law enforcement did not allow the FBI on the case until four days into the search for Savannah's missing mom.
The 'First 48 Hours' Are 'Most Critical'
Kash Patel said the FBI was not involved for the first four days of the case.
"The first 48 hours of anyone’s disappearance are the most critical," Patel explained to host Sean Hannity.
"Here’s how these cases work: it is a state matter, it’s a state and local law enforcement matter," he continued. "What we, the FBI do is say, ‘Hey, we’re here to help. What do you need? What can we do?'"
The FBI's Obtained Images of Kidnapping Suspect
The FBI released video and images of the kidnapping suspect.
Two days after that 48-hour deadline, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department reportedly called on the FBI, who then were able to obtain and release surveillance footage from Nancy's Nest camera and give authorities a first glimpse at a potential suspect.
The eerie images revealed a man – later determined to be between 5'9 and 5'10 – in a ski mask and other nondescript clothing. He also notably wore a backpack and a holster at his hip.
"That’s why you have that image," Patel added. "The FBI worked with Google to put that image out."
However, the FBI director suggested they could have released the video sooner, or even potentially extracted more information if they had been involved from the beginning of the search.
Roadblocks With DNA Evidence
Sheriff Chris Nanos said analyzing DNA evidence could take up to a year.
Another major stumbling block came regarding DNA evidence discovered inside of Nancy's home. Not only was the crime scene closed, then opened to the Guthrie family, then closed again, potentially contaminating the evidence, but the material found was sent to a lab in Florida, rather than the FBI's site in Quantico, Virginia.
"We were saying, ‘We’ll process it.’ I launched hundreds of agents and intel staff to Phoenix and Tucson just for this case, just to be on standby, just to do the canvassing and we said we’ll take the DNA," Patel recalled. "Again, it’s a state and local matter so it’s their call on where to send the DNA."
When Sheriff Chris Nanos got the results, he claimed the DNA was mixed and could take quite some time to properly analyze.
"Our lab also knows that the technology is moving so fast and in such a frenzy that they think some of this stuff will resolve itself just in a matter of weeks, months, or maybe a year, to allow them to do better with, say, a mixture of that kind of thing," Nanos said at the time.
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Nancy Guthrie went missing on February 1.
Patel admitted that all they could do was "continue to offer support."
"We would have analyzed it (DNA) in within days and maybe gotten better information or more information," he noted. "Our lab’s just better than any other private lab out there. And we didn’t get a chance to do that. I understand everybody’s frustration."
Nancy was last seen just before 10 p.m. at her Catalina Foothills home in Arizona on January 31. The next day, she was reported missing after she missed a get-together with a friend to watch a livestreamed church service.
The suspect has yet to be identified and Nancy has still not been found.
