Nancy Guthrie Update: Kash Patel Says FBI Was Kept Out of Case for ‘Four Days’ at Beginning

The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Office have seemingly been at odds throughout the investigation of Nancy Guthrie‘s disappearance — and Kash Patel is standing his ground on claims that his department wasn’t immediately let in on the case.

“From day one, the FBI offered up our assistance because it was a state and local matter. So we were not the lead agency because it was not being investigated as a federal matter,” Patel said in an interview with NewsNation on Friday, June 5.

“We showed up immediately and offered our assistance. We were not let in for four days. And that’s their choice,” the FBI director continued.

Patel added that the department has “continued to offer” their assistance in the case and said that he “even visited [the FBI’s] Tucson office.”

“We offered our assistance to go test the DNA. And it’s up to them. They chose to use a private laboratory,” the Trump administration official claimed.

In February, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos was criticized for his handling of a pair of gloves found near Nancy’s home. He then denied claims that his department was withholding evidence from the FBI and said that was “not even close to the truth,” per KVOA.

“Actually the FBI just wanted to send the one or two they found by the crime scene, closest to it – mile, mile and a half,” Nanos told the outlet. “I said ‘No, why do that? Let’s just send them all to where all the DNA exist, all the profiles and the markers exist.’ They agreed, makes sense.”

Nancy was last seen by her daughter, Annie Guthrie, and son-in-law Tommaso Cioni when she was dropped off at home. She failed to attend a streaming church service the following morning and a friend alerted the family.

Since then, there have been few developments in the case despite multiple pleas from her daughter, Savannah Guthrie, along with a six-figure reward offered by her family.

People with any information regarding the case are asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). You may also contact your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or you can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.