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FBI director Kash Patel is doubling down on claims that local police delayed involving the FBI in the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.
Patel, 46, told NewsNation on Thursday, June 4, that his agency offered support to Pima County, Arizona, law enforcement as soon as Nancy, the mother of Today show cohost Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing on February 1.
“We showed up immediately and offered our assistance. We were not let in for four days. And that’s their choice,” Patel said.
Nancy is believed to have been abducted from her home just outside of Tucson in the early hours of February 1. She was last seen by family members on the night of January 31.
Nancy’s disappearance attracted worldwide attention, with local and federal resources committed to the case.
Questions have been raised over the past several months about decisions made by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, led by sheriff Chris Nanos, including sending DNA evidence collected at Nancy’s home to a private Florida lab for testing instead of the FBI’s laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.
“We offered our assistance to go test the DNA. And it’s up to them. They chose to use a private laboratory,” Patel said.
Us Weekly has reached out to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department for comment.
The local police force previously denied delaying FBI involvement in a statement to Us in May after Patel made similar remarks that his bureau was initially shut out of the investigation during an appearance on Sean Hannity’s podcast.
“Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is aware of FBI Director Kash Patel’s recent interview and statement,” a spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said. “Sheriff Nanos responded to the scene the night of the incident, providing immediate local leadership and oversight.”
The spokesperson continued, “A member of the FBI Task Force was also notified and present at that scene, working alongside our personnel. The FBI was promptly notified by both our department and the Guthrie family. While the FBI Director was not on scene, coordination with the Bureau began without delay.”
Patel told NewsNation on Thursday that the FBI is continuing to assist the investigation, which remains unsolved.
“We continue to offer assistance,” he said. “I even visited our Tucson office, where we had 150 agents and analysts working on the Nancy Guthrie race to provide intelligence.”
Savannah, 54, made her return to the Today show in early April after a months-long absence following her mother’s disappearance.
“Mother, daughter, sister, Nonie, we miss you with every breath,” Savannah wrote via Instagram to mark Mother’s Day in May. “We will never stop looking for you. We will never be at peace until we find you.”
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