Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping Probe Rocked by Explosive Claims

The investigation into the mysterious disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother is facing fresh scrutiny after a law enforcement union leader raised troubling questions about the experience of detectives assigned to the case — and alleged tensions between local investigators and the FBI.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, vanished from her Tucson, Arizona, home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, and authorities believe the mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie was kidnapped.

More than six months later, there has been no publicly announced arrest or major breakthrough.

Now, Sgt. Aaron Cross, president of the Pima County Deputies Organization, is speaking out about what he believes may have gone wrong behind the scenes.

Cross was not personally involved in the investigation, but said his position representing sheriff’s deputies gave him insight into how the high-profile case was handled.

According to Cross, the sergeant initially put in charge of the Guthrie investigation had no previous homicide experience and had only been promoted to sergeant in 2023.

He claimed the officer had moved “very rapidly” from patrol into homicide before being tasked with leading one of the most closely watched missing-person investigations in the country.

Cross also alleged the department had recently lost two of its most experienced homicide detectives after they were transferred out of the unit.

While investigators assigned to Guthrie’s disappearance did have homicide experience, Cross claimed they had spent three years or less working those cases.

He described them as “novice” homicide detectives and said it was “almost unheard of” for investigators with that level of experience to be handed such a serious and complicated case.

Adding to the controversy, Cross claimed there was also “animosity” between members of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI.

That alleged friction could prove particularly significant because Cross credited federal investigators with uncovering what he described as the strongest evidence yet in the case.

Home security footage from Guthrie’s residence captured a masked man who investigators believe may have been connected to her disappearance.

Cross called the video the “best piece of evidence we’ve had so far in this case.”

“Frankly, I’m not sure where we’d be now without it,” he said.

The footage has become a major focus of the investigation as authorities continue trying to identify the mystery man seen near Guthrie’s home.

Cross also questioned another crucial decision made early in the investigation — how quickly control of Guthrie’s house was returned to her family.

He suggested investigators may have benefited from keeping the home secured as a crime scene for a longer period while detectives searched for evidence and tried to reconstruct exactly what happened inside the property.

The case has only grown more disturbing with time.

Investigators have chased numerous leads, while alleged ransom communications connected to Guthrie’s disappearance have added another layer of mystery.

One note purportedly written by her kidnapper claimed Guthrie had died from health problems believed to be heart-related.

Authorities have not publicly confirmed that claim, and Guthrie’s whereabouts remain unknown.

Cross said he was unaware of any major recent breakthrough in the investigation, although he acknowledged detectives and federal investigators could be withholding developments from the public.

“To my knowledge,” he said, there has not been significant new progress.

Cross saved some of his harshest criticism for Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and the department’s leadership, accusing the “command staff” of “hoping to solve this from behind a desk.”

The explosive accusations are likely to intensify questions surrounding one of the nation’s most baffling missing-person cases — and whether critical opportunities were lost during the first crucial days after Nancy Guthrie disappeared.