Lead Detective in Nancy Guthrie Case 'Never Investigated a Homicide Before' — As Calls to Resign Grow Over Handling of Disappearance
Nancy Guthrie has been missing for more than two months.
April 2 2026, Published 7:00 p.m. ET
Criticism over the handling of Nancy Guthrie's disappearance continues to pour in as the ailing 84-year-old remains missing more than two months after her apparent abduction.
On Thursday, April 2, a law enforcement insider familiar with the investigation claimed the current lead on the case – who was not named – isn't nearly as experienced as might be expected with such a high profile case, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
'Not Tenured Homicide Detectives'
Nancy Guthrie was last seen by family on January 31.
The source, who wished to give their statements anonymously, said that their "understanding" of the situation was that the people "on the scene were not tenured homicide detectives."
"They didn’t have a lot of experience in homicide at that point, to include the supervisor who, from my understanding, never investigated a homicide before being installed as the supervisor for the homicide unit," the source told NewsNation's Brian Entin in a recent interview.
The source further hinted, "You have decisions made by people that will install friends and people that can do stuff for them, opposed to people that are there under merit."
Sheriff Nanos Hit With 'Vote of No Confidence'
Sheriff Chris Nanos has been accused of fumbling the investigation into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has repeatedly faced harsh criticism for his handling of the investigation, from failing to secure the crime scene for long enough to avoid contaminating potential evidence to his frequent press conferences with few updates.
As Radar previously reported, former Lieutenant Bob Krygier, who served as an officer in Pima County for nearly three decades, claimed "98 percent of the department gave a vote of no confidence to the sheriff for various reasons," in a poll conducted several years before Nancy went missing.
"Think about that number. We have roughly 450 commissioned officers," he said at the time. "We’re not a small agency. This isn’t Mayberry. We need to do better."
Sheriff Chris Nanos was urged to resign by a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors.
More recently, a member on the Pima County Board of Supervisors suggested Sheriff Nanos should do the "right thing" and quit his job.
"Sheriff Nanos should resign immediately to restore trust, accountability and operational effectiveness to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department," the statement read. "Continued leadership under these circumstances jeopardizes public safety, departmental morale and the credibility of law enforcement in Pima County."
'What Not to Do'
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The masked suspect at Nancy Guthrie's home has not been identified.
Last month, a private investigator exclusively told Radar that this investigation would be "written into the textbooks" on "what not to do" in a missing person case.
"First mistake made was not securing the crime scene longer," Lisa Ribacoff-Mooney, a polygraph expert and the owner of Interpoint Investigative Services, said. "To close the house off and then open it and reclose it was a disaster."
This could prove to be a problem if a suspect is ever arrested and the case goes to trial, as a defense lawyer could "challenge evidence handling."
As previously reported, Nancy has not been seen since January 31. The next day, her phone, wallet, car keys and medications were all found inside of her Catalina Foothills home.
While investigators were able to recover footage of a masked man at her doorstep from the night of her disappearance, he has yet to be identified.
