Arizona sheriff blocking FBI from key evidence in escalating Guthrie case: source
TUCSON, Ariz. — A federal law enforcement source has confirmed to Fox News Digital that Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is blocking the FBI from obtaining key evidence in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
The evidence requested by the FBI includes a glove and DNA found inside Nancy Guthrie’s Tucson, Arizona, home, according to information first reported by Reuters.
Federal officials have asked Nanos for the items so they could be processed at the FBI's national crime laboratory in Quantico, Virginia. However, Nanos has insisted on sending the evidence for testing at a private lab in Florida, according to the source.
"It risks further slowing a case that grows more urgent by the minute," the official told Reuters, citing unspecified "earlier setbacks" in the investigation.
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The unnamed official also reportedly cited "earlier setbacks" in the investigation and criticized Nanos for not requesting FBI assistance in the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance sooner.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office is the primary investigative agency in the search for Nancy Guthrie, with the FBI only permitted to take part if requested by local officials.
The official added that Pima County has spent roughly $200,000 on sending evidence to the private lab in Florida, with which the department contracts.
"It’s clear the fastest path to answers is leveraging federal resources and technology. Anything less only prolongs the Guthrie family’s grief and the community’s wait for justice," the official said, according to Reuters.
The revelation comes as signs of strife between the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Office are beginning to surface as the search for Nancy Guthrie closes in on the two-week mark.
Earlier this week, the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Office released surveillance footage of a masked suspect approaching Nancy Guthrie’s front door in the moments before her disappearance.
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Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Tucson home in the early morning hours of Sunday, Feb. 1 and was reported missing later the same day.
The FBI upped the reward to $100,000 for any information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s return or an arrest in the case.
The Pima County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.