A new report from the Wall Street Journal, published Saturday night, brings to light several possible errors by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department during its search for Nancy Guthrie, which has seen little progress since it began in February.
The WSJ, citing personal files and interviews with current and former federal officers and individuals close to the investigation, reported that, from the start, some were concerned about the head of homicide, Sgt. David Stivers, who was appointed by Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos. Personal records allegedly show that Stivers was reprimanded for “poor judgment” two months before the Guthrie case and was blamed for delays in securing crime-scene evidence in a homicide investigation. Charges were dropped in that case for insufficient evidence, according to The WSJ.
People close to the case told The WSJ that Stivers and his team discovered dried blood on Guthrie’s front porch when they arrived at her home on Feb. 1. They reportedly ignored it at the time, thinking it was part of an unrelated incident. After undergoing DNA testing, the blood was confirmed to be Guthrie’s and is now believed to be part of the case. The WSJ wrote that the sheriff’s deputies “failed to seal off the property with police tape to protect sensitive crime-scene evidence, allowing reporters, livestreamers, and Amazon and pizza delivery drivers entry to the porch.”
The WSJ also reported that the department’s senior pilot was demoted following a workplace complaint days before Guthrie was kidnapped. This allegedly led to hours-long delays in getting a search and rescue plane in the air in the earliest days of the search.
Nanos disputed The Journal’s extensive findings, telling the outlet in an interview, “I can assure everybody that we are working hard every day with all of our partners.” He noted that “corporate America” has “offered up some assistance with some of the brightest minds in this country.” Nanos also assured the case “is not cold.”
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to Variety‘s own request for comment regarding the allegations.
“Today” host Savannah Guthrie has repeatedly taken to social media to plead for her mother’s return. She posted a video to Instagram in late July addressing her mother’s kidnappers directly. She said, “The world can be a cruel and unforgiving place, and I know that you have tried to do things the right way. So I’m asking you, begging you to do the right thing now. Make the right choice. Help us find her. Tell us where to look for her. I truly believe it is never too late to do the right thing. Help us bring this situation to an end. For all of us, no matter where we’ve been and what we’ve done, I believe there is always a way home. Please make the right choice.”