President Donald Trump weighed in on the Nancy Guthrie investigation after a new report raised concerns about the Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s efforts to find the missing 84-year-old.
“Some people haven’t liked the way the local community is running it. They haven’t liked the way the sheriff’s run it,” Trump, 80, told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, August 2, per Fox News.
The president’s comments regarding Sheriff Chris Nanos come after The Wall Street Journal published an article on Saturday, August 1, that listed possible mistakes made by Nanos and his team.
“We would like to give them the benefit of the doubt. We’re there anytime they need us as well. It’s a terrible thing,” Trump continued. He also confirmed that the FBI is currently “involved to an extent” despite the “local community really [running]” the investigation.
The Wall Street Journal’s report — published exactly six months after the elderly mother of Today cohost Savannah Guthrie was kidnapped from her bedroom in Arizona’s Catalina Foothills — stated that the Pima County Sheriff’s Department “failed to seal off the property with police tape [after the incident] to protect sensitive crime-scene evidence, allowing reporters, livestreamers and Amazon and pizza delivery drivers entry to the porch.”
Some of that evidence includes dried blood found on Nancy’s front porch that was later confirmed to be hers and is now believed to be connected to her abduction.
Trump has publicly commented on Nancy’s disappearance and the FBI’s involvement multiple times. In a June 23 statement, shared via social media by Scripps News, the president shared his hope for locating her. “I mean, Savannah’s gone through a rough — that family’s gone through hell. I hope they find her,” he told members of the press at the time.
In February, Trump also spoke to reporters about why the FBI had not taken the lead on Nancy’s investigation. “[The Pima County Sheriff’s Department] didn’t want to let go of it, which is fine. It’s up to them. It’s really up to the communities,” he said during a White House press conference. “But ultimately, when the FBI got involved, I think, you know, progress has been made.”
On Saturday, August 1, Savannah, 54, marked six months since her mom’s disappearance via an Instagram post that pleaded for Nancy’s return. “Six months ago, someone took her out of her bed in the dead of night,” she wrote. “We have lived every moment, every breath, and every heartbeat in agony and despair ever since. Every day, we wake up and try to be strong and go on because that’s what our joyful and resilient mom taught us to do, but make no mistake — our hearts are in ruins.”
The TV host continued, “We are begging for help. We are desperate. We need someone to come forward. Someone knows something. Someone suspects something. Someone recognizes the writing in the ransom demand notes. Someone has noticed something different, strange, troubling or just unusual — perhaps with someone they deeply love. Perhaps they are afraid to come forward. Perhaps they are conflicted. Perhaps they are angry or upset for being in this situation. There is a way out — to tell what you know.”
Nancy was last seen on January 31, one night prior to her disappearance. While authorities have released Nest doorbell footage of a masked figure approaching Nancy’s home, no suspects have been named.
Authorities and the Guthrie family are offering rewards for credible leads.
