The FBI is being sidelined in theNancy Guthrieinvestigation because local authorities have not allowed the feds to lead the probe, President Trump said Friday.
As the search for Savannah Guthrie‘s mother continues, the White House has signaled how it has had minimal involvement in the search for the 84-year-old after blood was discovered at her Tucson, Arizona, home.
‘You know, it was a local case originally. And they didn’t want to let go of it, which is fine,’ President Donald Trump said as he departed the White House on Friday.
‘It’s really up to the community. But ultimately, when the FBI got involved, I think progress has been made.’
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and his department are leading the local investigation, while the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office is assisting. It is unclear how many FBI agents are assisting with the case.The FBI did not return the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
Nanos has denied allegations that his department is blocking the FBI from accessing evidence after a source told Reuters that the sheriff was impairing the federal response.
Trump noted how the FBI has done good work to produce evidence in the case, including critical surveillance video that shows an adult male at Nancy Guthrie’s door before her February 1 suspected abduction.
‘The suspect is described as a male, approximately 59 – 510 tall, with an average build,’ read a statement from Phoenix FBI. ‘In the video, he is wearing a black, 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack’ backpack.’
President Donald Trump said on Friday that Arizona investigators don’t want to let the FBI lead the Nancy Guthrie case
Nancy Guthrie (L), 84, the mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie (R) disappeared from her Tucson, Arizona, home on February 1
The Pima County Sheriff’s office is still leading the investigation despite not announcing any major discoveries in the 13 days since Guthrie disappeared. The White House has repeatedly noted how federal investigators are not empowered to lead the case
The agency added that they have received more than 13,000 tips in the case and the reward amount has increased from $50,000 to $100,000.
The president said Friday that it’s too early to suspect that a cartel could be behind the disappearance.
The search for Guthrie is ongoing into its 13th day as the dramatic disappearance has led to ransom notes and widespread speculation as to the octogenarian’s fate.
Many have lobbed criticism at the local investigators for not having any substantial evidence in the case. The most stirring piece of evidence uncovered so far is the doorbell camera video published by the FBI.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has also stressed how local authorities would need to relinquish control to the FBI for the feds to get more involved.
‘The FBI, in order to take over the investigation, would of course need the local authorities to hand it over to them,’ Leavitt said on Fox News on Friday morning just before the president’s remarks.’Director Patel himself was on the ground in Arizona this week … offering the full resources and weight of the federal government to help local authorities bring this case to an end, to bring Nancy Guthrie home.’
She also remarked how the president has been involved in the case and how the FBI is eager to get on the case.
‘President Trump immediately offered that when this case was first heard about, when this news broke, and our hearts break every day that this goes on and again, the FBI is on the ground wanting to assist in any way that they can.’
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has denied that his department is withholding evidence from the FBI
FBI Director Kash Patel has been in Arizona in the last week, Leavitt said on Friday
Nancy Guthrie was first reported missing on February 1 after she did not show up to attend a virtual church service at a friend’s house.
Authorities began searching for her that night. They confirmed the following day that her disappearance was being treated as a crime.
The FBI asked Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos for physical evidence in the case, including a glove and DNA from Guthrie’s home to be processed at the FBI’s national crime laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.
Nanos instead insisted on using a private lab in Florida.
He slammed claims that his department was ‘withholding evidence’ as ‘Not even close to the truth.’
‘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,’ he continued.
The sheriff also argued that the gloves found at the scene by FBI investigators may not be as valuable as initially thought, as police found multiple pairs on the side of the road near Nancy’s home.