March 18, 2026

Calls For Sheriff in Nancy Guthrie Case To Be Removed, As Reports Surface of New Masked Man Video

Calls For Sheriff in Nancy Guthrie Case To Be Removed, As Reports Surface of New Masked Man Video

The Pima County Board of Supervisors will consider next steps regarding Sheriff Chris Nanos, after a growing number of Arizonans say his handling of the Nancy Guthrie case is “the straw that broke the camel’s back.” Several news outlets are reporting the Sheriff was already under fire for misrepresenting his resume and allegedly lying under oath about disclosing past disciplinary actions. Meantime, there are reports of a new video showing a masked man at Nancy’s home 3 weeks before her abduction.

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00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Wednesday, March eighteenth, day forty five in the search for Nancy Guthrie. But these days some of the major developments and major headlines about the case are about the sheriff. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Robes. This sheriff has been under a spotlight for a while, and a lot of it had to do with his handling up the Guthrie case. But now a lot of things are coming up don't have anything to do with the Guthrie case.

00:00:31
Speaker 2: Uh yes, so yes.

00:00:33
Speaker 3: Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos. You've heard his name, you've seen his face. He used to hold those press conferences and every now and then he'll speak to reporters about where they are in the investigation. Well, now his job is in peril. There is a recall going on right now. The Pima County Board of Supervisors is meeting next Tuesday to discuss the way forward. Now that there is a growing outcry from folks. There is a would be congressman, someone running for Congress, who is maybe leading the charge, but they want him out. They say that the handling of the Guthrie case was the straw that broke the camel's back.

00:01:14
Speaker 1: So there was other stuff their argument, and we'll get into what these things are. But am I hearing you right? That the Guthrie thing for them was just the latest, if you will, he was already on thin I correct.

00:01:26
Speaker 3: So they are claiming that he basically hasn't been honest about his work history, hasn't been honest about his disciplinary record as a police officer, and so they've gone back through and apparently this past December under oath, they are claiming that he misrepresented himself and with that, in addition to how the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case has been handled so far, they want all of that considered and are asking the Board of Supervisors to consider either forcing a resignation. And I don't know what the procedure would be going forward with the point is they want him out of a job, all right.

00:02:06
Speaker 1: Let me take one at a time. Here the two issues in which they say he's been dishonest. One of them has to do specifically with something essentially that was on his resume, and then another having to do with his comment under oath, having to do with his disciplinary action against him. Is that great?

00:02:24
Speaker 2: Correct?

00:02:24
Speaker 1: Two things. Yes, Okay, so let's go with the disciplinary thing. First, he was essentially saying no, and this was under oath.

00:02:32
Speaker 3: Under oath he was being a subpoena and I'm not sure what that was in specific connection with, but he basically said during a December deposition, he was asked if he had ever been suspended during his law enforcement career.

00:02:46
Speaker 2: According to several news.

00:02:48
Speaker 3: Outlets, he replied no, even though l pass a police department where he once worked. Those records show that he in fact had been suspended eight times.

00:02:59
Speaker 2: That's a big difference.

00:03:01
Speaker 1: Okay, that's hard to for that to slip your mind. Maybe one twenty years ago, maybe you're forgud, but that's an eight Wow. Why jeez?

00:03:11
Speaker 2: That is incredibly difficult to explain.

00:03:13
Speaker 3: So yes, So what they're going to look at is his work history, misrepresentation and alleged false testimony. Those are the two big points of contention that they're going to be reviewing next week.

00:03:27
Speaker 1: And the other issue having to do with some they had to go back and correct the year. This seemed like a minor issue, with some are saying it is a big issue.

00:03:35
Speaker 3: Yes, So when he said he left his previous job, it. Actually he was actually, they claim, forced to resign two years earlier than he said he left that police department. So they're saying that there was actually a disciplinary issue and he was allowed to resign. If he hadn't resigned, he would have then faced disciplinary action. Among the allegations was using excessive force.

00:04:02
Speaker 1: But again you're saying, and they are saying, some of this was already boiling before. Correctly, Again, it's been a month and a half since she disappeared, so a month and a half ago, and before that he was already under pretty intense scrutiny. It sounds like correct.

00:04:16
Speaker 3: And so, hearing directly from the supervisor, the district supervisor who will be leading this Board of supervisor's discussion next week, he is already given a quote to Newsweek saying that the sheriff, he doesn't think the sheriff can remain in his position is his belief that the sheriff will be removed, and he said he has betrayed the trust that our community placed in him. Without that trust, he cannot effectively lead the department. So this is actually a really big deal that could have significant implications when you look at now what's going on on day forty five in the search for Nancy Guthrie. And there have been some developments, and the sheriff actually made some pretty dramatic statements last week even on this case.

00:05:01
Speaker 1: See I wonder I didn't know about everything that was going on there before this case. And there were times where I wondered about his standing in the community and in some of his behavior, and what he was doing, and why he was doing it, what might have been his motivations for this or that. And he did look, I know, the national spotlight was on him, so I gave him a break on it. But I wonder if any of what was happening was playing in how he handled things, if he was a little nervous, he was a little too careful, a little too aggressive.

00:05:34
Speaker 2: I don't know.

00:05:34
Speaker 3: He probably thought, great, this is exactly what I need, the world spotlight directly on me, when I already know my enemies are looking to have me thrown out. Now I've got a like I am literally under the microscope. And he did acknowledge that this recall is happening. He said through I believe a state's a statement through a spokesperson, we are aware of the recall and it's the right of the people.

00:05:57
Speaker 2: So he's just saying, let the democratic process take place.

00:06:00
Speaker 3: But he's just acknowledged that he's aware of the recall, he's aware that this process is about to begin, and he will accept whatever is decided.

00:06:10
Speaker 1: Tuesday is it next? What are they meeting at nine.

00:06:13
Speaker 2: Am local time? Tuesday, March twenty fourth.

00:06:16
Speaker 3: But you know, it's it's sad because this is just a distraction to the efforts that are certainly under way still and I'm sure the Guthrie family this is the last thing they want to see. Now you've got this political issue where you got you know, in fighting within the different departments who are supposed to be collectively working to try and find eighty four year old Nancy Guthrie. This can't be a very positive development for the Guthrie family to witness.

00:06:43
Speaker 1: Well, you know, even yeah, on that end, from the investigative end, but rolls on a personal level too. I'm sure they have spent a lot of time with this Shra and Giden them know him and probably have talked to him every day in some way the forty five days, so that probably could sting. We don't know what's going to happen with him. But this is all happening right now. This other thing about with the lawsuit, there was an inmate who is now reportedly sued for a million plus dollars saying that he was mistreated and something that the sheriff did risks his life while he was in prison.

00:07:16
Speaker 2: So that's again you can go one million dollar lawsuit, you.

00:07:19
Speaker 1: Call that frivolous, but still that's something that was also making headlines. But as all this was going on, folks, there are there are some updates and the Nancy Guthrie investigation. Stay here, we'll tell you what those are.

00:07:40
Speaker 2: Welcome back, everyone.

00:07:41
Speaker 3: It is day forty five in the search for Nancy Guthrie, and there are some new developments beyond just what's happening and the drama surrounding the sheriff in this case.

00:07:52
Speaker 2: There are reports.

00:07:53
Speaker 3: Fox News is reporting that a masked suspect has been seen on video three weeks before Nancy Guthrie was abducted. She was last seen January thirty first. This image of this mass suspect on apparently on Nancy Guthrie's property, was captured on January eleventh, and there are reports now that police and investigators the FBI specifically, are going now and asking neighbors and canvassing the area, focused on two dates, January eleventh and January twenty fourth, And a lot of folks say this is a positive development. It sounds like they are acting on something specific.

00:08:36
Speaker 1: Yeah, there's a masked man in the neighborhood. How many weeks was this ahead of that?

00:08:40
Speaker 2: Three weeks before the actual abduction.

00:08:42
Speaker 1: That's huge, is it not? That's your guy. We have to assume that's your guy. So three weeks. That suggests a lot of planning, casing the era been in the neighborhood before that. What that suggests is could yes, this could be an enormous yes.

00:08:59
Speaker 3: And look, the sheriff at the end of last week reiterated something that we had heard him say before that they believe and they still believe, that Nancy Guthrie was targeted. He said, quote, I'd be silly to tell people don't worry about it.

00:09:13
Speaker 2: You're not his target. You could be.

00:09:15
Speaker 3: And he went on to say, don't think for a minute that because it happened to the Guthrie family, you're safe. No, keep your wits about you. From day one, we had some strong beliefs about what happened, and those beliefs haven't diminished. That is fairly ominous. We certainly didn't hear that kind of language in the early stages of the investigation, so it's interesting to hear that now forty five days or at least five six weeks into the investigation.

00:09:43
Speaker 2: What do you make of that?

00:09:44
Speaker 1: Robes? I would like for him actually to do press conferences and do all this at one time, because what's happened. Robes. He keeps sitting down and doing these individual interviews with a lot of local affiliates, sometimes national folks, and there's no real new update, so people are trying to pluck out any little thing he says, and everything now becomes elevated and a big deal when it's not actually a big deal. And he has sent us all kinds of different directions in some of these interviews.

00:10:12
Speaker 3: You know, we have decided multiple days now in the last few weeks because we haven't given a Nancy Guthrie update because we didn't feel like anything rose to the level. But you'll know, if you're on your phones or online, you'll see almost every news outlet will find some way to take a little drip from either someone who's guessing a former FBI agent who's looking at what whether or not they're using cadaver dogs well enough, or trying to read the tea leaves about what the sheriff said to this reporter. So, look, there hasn't been anything that has been overwhelming enough to get back on and give anyone a real update, except for this, I think is fairly significant. It obviously is going to have an impact on this case that the sheriff is removed and speaks to just the level of confidence he has in the community. That has a huge impact on people trusting the police department, coming forward to the police department. And look, while all this is going on, we know the Guthrie family and the FBI putting up billboards all around the area. They're still trying to reach anyone. It seems hard to imagine that if you live anywhere near the area, or frankly anywhere in the United States, that you haven't heard of this case.

00:11:25
Speaker 1: Well except for the guy. Remember they had him in custody. Who's Nancy guther Yeah, he actually didn't know. I'm sorry, I just made me think of it at the time when you said that. But yes to your point and of this case rogued, You said, who could imagine? Who could imagine? There's no way we thought forty five days later. Look, there were times where you thought maybe she won't be found alive, but there was forty five days out in zero clue. They still don't even seem to be sure what country they should be looking at.

00:11:55
Speaker 3: No. I mean, certainly they've talked about how they did reach out to Mexican authorities to keep an eye out. This is near the Mexico border, or at least close enough where it would be within the realm of possibilities that that could have happened. But certainly this is I'm imagining being a neighbor. And look, there have been neighbors in the area who say the FBI has come by their house five six times to ask them different questions about different dates, looking at.

00:12:20
Speaker 2: More video, looking at more door bell.

00:12:21
Speaker 3: There's a big concern now that folks, I don't know if it's every month or every eight weeks, where you've got your tapes or your video recorders, however you're housing in on whatever file deletes or replenishes. So they're just trying to make sure they have every bit of visual evidence they could possibly have, But my god, I never would have imagined six weeks after we first reported on February first, that eighty four year old Nancy Guthrie was missing blood on her front porch steps eventually a masked man on a doorbell camera. It's still we have. It doesn't seem as though we're any closer now. That doesn't mean they aren't, but as far as we can tell, yeah, they know that a mass man maybe came three weeks earlier.

00:13:04
Speaker 2: And that's about as far as it goes.

00:13:06
Speaker 3: So of course we will continue to keep our eye on this, and of course we'll jump on and give you all an update if it warrants, But we certainly hope that's the case. For Savannah, we know she made it to the studios was it last week and just a reunion with folks she hadn't seen in weeks now, but just can't imagine what she's going through. A no update when she will go back to the Today Show set.

00:13:28
Speaker 2: But in the meantime, thank you all for listening to us. We always appreciate you. I'm Ami Robock alongside TJ. Holmes. We will talk to you soon.