Kash Patel just dropped a bombshell about the Nancy Guthrie case, and it’s not pretty. The FBI director claims local Arizona police blocked federal agents from joining the investigation for four critical days after the 84-year-old went missing. If that timeline holds, it’s a massive red flag in one of the most high-profile disappearances of the year.
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Patel didn’t hold back during his interview with NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich. According to Reality Tea, he said the FBI showed up immediately after Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on February 1, ready to assist Pima County law enforcement. But instead of welcoming the help, local authorities kept the bureau on the sidelines for nearly a week. “We showed up immediately and offered our assistance. We were not let in for four days. And that’s their choice,” Patel said.
The FBI director also called out Pima County’s decision to send DNA evidence to a private lab instead of using the bureau’s own facilities. “We offered our assistance to go test the DNA. And it’s up to them. They chose to use a private laboratory,” he said. Patel made it clear he believes the FBI’s lab would have delivered faster, more detailed results. “Our lab’s just better than any other private lab out there, and we didn’t get the chance to do that,” he added.
Nancy Guthrie disappeared on January 31
Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC host Savannah Guthrie, vanished on the night of January 31 after returning home from dinner with family. Investigators later released images of a masked individual seen near Guthrie’s home. AP reported that the FBI said gloves found nearby appeared to match those worn by the man in the video, though DNA from the gloves did not match any entries in CODIS.
The FBI eventually gained access to the footage and worked with Google to dig into the metadata, even though Guthrie didn’t have a paid subscription for the camera’s cloud storage. Patel described the process as searching for “a needle in a needle in a needle in a haystack.” Patel said he personally visited the FBI’s Tucson office, where 150 agents and analysts were already working the case.
Kash Patel blames others for Nancy Guthrie not being found: "We are not the lead agency. We were not let in for four days. That's their choice." pic.twitter.com/ZtXQCDYv5l
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 5, 2026
The FBI also posted a $100,000 reward for information, matching the $1 million reward offered by Guthrie’s family. But Patel’s frustration was palpable when he talked about the early days of the investigation. “The first 48 hours of anyone’s disappearance are the most critical,” he told Sean Hannity on his podcast. “And for four days, we were kept out of the investigation.” Those first two days can make or break a case, and losing four is almost unthinkable.
According to The Hill, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has pushed back against Patel’s claims. In a statement in May, he said the FBI was notified “without delay” the night of the incident and that coordination began immediately. Nanos also defended the decision to use a private lab for DNA testing, calling it an “operational need” and insisting the private lab and the FBI’s lab have been collaborating closely.
“We remain committed to a thorough, coordinated and fact-based investigation and will continue working closely with our federal partners as the process moves forward,” he wrote. But Patel’s version of events paints a different picture, one where local officials dragged their feet on accepting help.
The tension between local and federal law enforcement isn’t new
Still, it’s rare to see it play out so publicly in a case this high-profile. Patel made it clear that the FBI’s door is always open, even if local agencies don’t take advantage of it right away. “What we, the FBI, do is say, ‘Hey, we’re here to help. What do you need? What can we do?’” he said.
The case has drawn national attention because Guthrie is the mother of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie and because authorities have described the circumstances as suspicious. And if Patel is right, the delay in bringing the FBI into the fold might have given the suspect a head start that could never be recovered.
Patel didn’t shy away from touting the FBI’s capabilities, either. He pointed to the bureau’s work with Google to retrieve footage from Guthrie’s Ring camera as a prime example of what federal agents bring to the table. “That’s why you have that image, because the FBI worked with Google to put that image out,” he told Hannity. It’s a reminder that the FBI has tools and partnerships that local departments often can’t match.
(Featured image: Gage Skidmore)
