Police Union President Claims Inexperienced Detectives Hampered Early Nancy Guthrie Case Investigation

TUCSON, Ariz. — The president of the union representing Pima County sheriff's deputies says the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was hampered from its earliest days by a homicide unit left short of experienced detectives following an unrelated internal personnel dispute.

Sgt. Aaron Cross, president of the Pima County Deputies Organization, detailed his account of the staffing issues in an interview published August 15 by TMZ. According to Cross, two of the department's most senior homicide detectives had been investigating a separate homicide case and were building probable cause against a suspect when a commander pressured them to make an arrest before they believed the case was ready. "What happened is two most senior detectives in the Homicide unit had been transferred out," Cross said, adding that when the detectives declined to arrest the suspect prematurely, they were reassigned out of the Homicide Unit and into the Cold Case Unit.

Cross said that reassignment, which predated Nancy Guthrie's disappearance and was unrelated to her case, ultimately left the Homicide Unit short-staffed and inexperienced by the time she vanished from her Tucson home in the early hours of February 1. According to Cross, the sergeant placed in charge of the Guthrie investigation had been promoted to that rank only in 2023 and had no prior homicide experience before rapidly moving from patrol duty into the unit. Cross said the detectives assigned to assist likewise had limited experience, generally three years or less, which he described as an unusual staffing decision for a case that quickly drew intense local and national scrutiny.

Cross's account of the commander who ordered the earlier reassignment, whom he described as one of Sheriff Chris Nanos's "favoured sons," has not been independently confirmed. Cross has a documented history of political friction with Nanos. According to Fox News, Nanos placed Cross on administrative leave in the weeks before the sheriff's contested 2024 re-election, which he won by just 481 votes, after Cross had publicly opposed him and allegedly collaborated with one of his election opponents. That history should be weighed alongside Cross's latest allegations, which reflect his own characterization of internal department dynamics rather than an independently verified account.

Cross's criticism echoes concerns raised earlier this year by separate sources. Fox News Digital reported in April, citing two sources with knowledge of the department, that only one detective assigned to the Homicide Unit at the time of Guthrie's disappearance had more than three years of experience, while five others had less than two years, and that the sergeant supervising the unit had roughly six months of experience in that role and had never personally worked a homicide case before being placed in charge.

Sheriff Nanos has pushed back against ongoing criticism of the investigation's handling. Addressing scrutiny of the case earlier this year, Nanos said internal or political commentary distracts from the active investigation, and that his department's focus remains on pursuing justice and transparency for the Guthrie family. Nanos has also maintained publicly that the case remains active and has not become a cold case, despite the extended timeline.

Cross's comments were not limited to detective experience levels. He also raised concerns about the department's decision to allow Nancy Guthrie's family control over the crime scene relatively early in the investigation, according to reporting from The Daily Beast, and pointed to broader coordination problems between local and federal investigators. A separate Wall Street Journal examination of the investigation reported additional concerns involving coordination between local and federal authorities and the handling of evidence during the case, adding to the broader scrutiny surrounding the department's response.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen by family on January 31 at her home in Tucson's Catalina Foothills neighborhood and was reported missing the following day. The FBI has said an armed individual appeared to tamper with her doorbell camera around the time of her disappearance, and blood found at her home has been confirmed to belong to her. The case is being investigated as a kidnapping, with two ransom notes tied to the disappearance made public in late July. No suspect has been publicly named, and Guthrie has not been found more than six and a half months after she vanished.

Cross was careful to frame his criticism around staffing and process decisions rather than claiming that different personnel choices would necessarily have solved the case. His allegations, however, add to a broader pattern of scrutiny surrounding the Pima County Sheriff's Department's handling of one of the most closely watched missing-person investigations in the country, at a moment when the Guthrie family continues to wait for answers about Nancy's whereabouts.

Neither the Pima County Sheriff's Department nor Sheriff Nanos has issued a detailed, on-the-record response specifically addressing Cross's claims regarding the earlier detective transfers or the characterization of the commander involved in that decision.