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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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An Arizona Republican congressional candidate has started the process of trying to recall Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who is leading the search for missing Nancy Guthrie.
Daniel Butierez confirmed on his campaign Facebook page that he has begun the process, and told news outlets he has hundreds of volunteers working to collect signatures to remove Nanos from his position.
“This is a bipartisan effort. It’s not like we’re trying to get signatures from one party or the other,” Butierez told the New York Post. “He has been an embarrassment to Tucson and to Pima County with this Nancy Guthrie case."
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Butierez said reports that Nanos, who has faced criticism for his handling of the investigation had misstated his law enforcement employment history on his public resume were the final straw.
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Newsweek has contacted Butierez's campaign and Nanos via the Pima County Sheriff's Department for comment via emails sent outside regular business hours.
The Context
Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for more than six weeks. She was last seen at her home on January 31 in Tucson, Arizona, and was reported missing the following day. Authorities believe she was kidnapped.
Since the first days of her disappearance, authorities have expressed concern about her health because she needs vital daily medication.
On February 10, the FBI released video from a doorbell camera showing a man wearing a ski mask, a jacket, long pants, gloves and a handgun holster on Nancy Guthrie's porch on the night she disappeared. Authorities have not publicly identified the person, whom they called a suspect, but the FBI described the person as a male about 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10 with an average build and said he was carrying a 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.
What To Know
In a post on Facebook on Monday, Butierez called for volunteers to help collect signatures for the recall effort. "Let's get the sheriff out of office and get someone in there that we can feel confident in," he said in the video.
He told the New York Post that he made the decision to initiate the recall effort after speaking with Pima County deputies, who he said told him they wanted to launch the effort themselves but were "afraid of repercussions."
Sheryl McCollum, the founder and director of Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, told NewsNation on Tuesday that while Nanos has made mistakes, investigators need "time to work." She said if the only connection between the suspect and Nancy Guthrie was on the night she disappeared, it would take more than 45 days for investigators to figure it out.
Critics have questioned Nanos' handling of the investigation, including to release the crime scene days into the investigation only for investigators to return later to gather additional evidence after reporters and others were able to walk up to Nancy Guthrie's front door. Critics also said the sheriff waited too long to get security camera footage from Nancy Guthrie’s home and from neighbors.
Nanos has acknowledged missteps, saying in a press conference in early February that he would have preserved the crime scene longer if he had the chance for a do-over and would have called for the assistance of the FBI sooner.
In interviews in recent weeks, he has suggested investigators are closer to tracking down the suspect, but the public has not been made aware of any significant breakthroughs.
He said in an interview with NBC News that investigators believe Nancy Guthrie's kidnapping was targeted but added that "we're not 100 percent sure" as he warned that the suspect could "absolutely" strike again. He declined to provide details about the possible motive, citing the integrity of the investigation.
Nanos also said he remained hopeful that DNA evidence found in Nancy Guthrie's home that did not belong to her or those in close contact with her could lead law enforcement to the suspect.
The sheriff's department previously said investigators would seek to use investigative genetic genealogy in the investigation. But Nanos has said that investigators were facing challenges processing the DNA, which he said was mixed and could contain DNA from several people.
Nancy Guthrie’s family is offering a $1 million reward for information that leads to her recovery.
What People Are Saying
Sheryl McCollum, the founder and director of Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, said on NewsNation: “There is absolutely no doubt he’s made mistakes, he has misspoken, he has contradicted himself, he went to a basketball game, which was a horrible optic, but the reality is, this ain’t TV."
She said: "If some missteps that are just human nature is going to cost you your job, honey, most of us will be out of work. So you’ve got to give them time to work."
The Pima County Sheriff's Department said in a statement on Friday: "The Pima County Sheriff’s Department continues to analyze various forms of evidence in the Nancy Guthrie case, including material from laboratories as well as images and videos captured by cameras. At this time, we will not comment on the details or status of this analysis."
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News last week: "We believe we know why he did this, and we believe that it was targeted. But we can't—we're not 100 percent sure of that, so it would be silly to tell people: 'Yeah, don't worry about it. You're not his target.'"
He added: "Don't think for a minute that because it happened to the Guthrie family, you're safe. No, keep your wits about you."
Savannah Guthrie said on Instagram on March 2: "We feel the love and prayers from our neighbors, from the Tucson community and from around the country.…Please don't stop praying and hoping with us. bring her home."
What Happens Next
Butierez has 120 days to collect about 120,000 signatures, which is equal to about 25 percent of the total votes cast for Nanos in his 2024 election.
If he does so, the Pima County Recorder has 60 days to verify the signatures. If the signatures are verified, Nanos will be notified and will have the option to resign or call a special election.
Meanwhile, anyone with information about Nancy Guthrie is urged to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), 520-351-4900 or 88-CRIME or visit tips.fbi.gov.
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