The FBI is reportedly "growing frustrated" with the search for "Today" host Savannah Guthrie's missing mother and with Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos.
Multiple law enforcement sources say the bureau is eager to take control of the high-profile investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie but is legally unable to do so unless her family formally requests it, the New York Post reported.
More than two weeks after Guthrie vanished from her Tucson-area home, critics say the case has been plagued by missteps, confusion, and what some describe as political ego.
"It is a common belief in this agency that this case has become an ego case for Sheriff Nanos," Sgt. Aaron Cross, president of the Pima County Deputies Organization, told the Post.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen Jan. 31, and authorities quickly concluded she was likely abducted, citing her limited mobility and blood found on her porch.
But the investigation has drawn scrutiny from the start.
The sheriff's department allowed reporters and onlookers near the home shortly after the disappearance, prompting concerns that the scene was not secured long enough.
Betsy Brantner Smith of the National Policing Association criticized what she described as inconsistent communications and the decision to move away from regular press briefings.
"As a law enforcement organization, you have to communicate with the media," she said.
Tensions between local and federal authorities appear to have deepened over forensic evidence.
Reuters reported Feb. 12 that Nanos blocked FBI access to key physical evidence, including gloves recovered near the scene, insisting on sending the materials to a private Florida lab rather than the FBI's crime lab in Quantico, Virginia.
A U.S. law enforcement official told Reuters that outsourcing the analysis was impairing the FBI's ability to assist and risking further delays.
Nanos denied those claims in a television interview, calling them "not even close to the truth" and saying the FBI agreed with his decision.
Still, frustration inside federal ranks is reportedly mounting.
"Over two whole weeks into this, the police have made no leads, no progress," a federal source told the Post.
The FBI has since doubled its reward to $100,000 for information leading to Nancy Guthrie's recovery or to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
Critics also point to Nanos' contentious history with the FBI, dating back to a 2015 investigation into the sheriff's department over alleged misuse of funds — a probe that coincided with his political setbacks before he later won election as sheriff.
Cross and other critics argue the bureau, widely regarded as the premier agency for kidnapping investigations, should have led from the outset.
"The FBI has way more resources," Cross said.
For now, however, the bureau remains on the sidelines — ready, sources say, to step in "if they could" — as the clock ticks in a case that has gripped the nation and left a family pleading for answers.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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