Sheriff Chris Nanos fails to deploy search plane in crucial early hours of Nancy Guthrie case: report

TUCSON, ARIZONA: Fresh scrutiny is falling on the Pima County Sheriff’s Office over its handling of the initial hours of the search for missing mother Nancy Guthrie, with reports suggesting a critical delay in deploying advanced aerial search technology.

Sources told the New York Post that the department waited hours before launching a high-tech Cessna aircraft equipped with thermal imaging cameras after Guthrie was reported missing — a lapse that may have cost investigators valuable early leads.

Officials have defended their response, but critics argue that staffing shortages and internal decisions left the agency without the personnel needed to quickly deploy one of its most powerful search tools.

Law enforcement delayed using thermal imaging aircraft, sources say

Multiple sources told the outlet that law enforcement did not immediately deploy its Cessna aircraft, which is outfitted with high-resolution thermal imaging cameras capable of detecting heat signatures in rugged terrain.

The delay reportedly stemmed from a lack of available pilots, a problem that insiders blame on staffing decisions made before Guthrie disappeared. One pilot was reassigned due to disciplinary action weeks earlier, while another left the aviation unit in November 2025.

Sgt. Aaron Cross, president of the Pima County Sheriff’s Deputies Association, and county GOP chair Kathleen Winn both said the department was left without a trained flight crew when the search began.

“This left the department without a crew to respond to the search due to short staffing,” Winn said. “If they had somebody who could fly that plane, they could have probably found her instantly if she was out in the desert.”

She added, “The most important, crucial hours and minutes right after someone is missing – we’ve lost those.”

Winn also said low morale and shortages in homicide and other investigative units “badly hampered the initial phase” of the investigation.

Authorities did send a helicopter soon after Guthrie was reported missing, but it did not have the same thermal imaging capabilities as the Cessna. According to the report, the plane did not take off until around 5 pm.

Officials warn early hours of missing-person searches are critical

Pima County Board of Supervisors member Matt Heinz questioned whether the delay may have affected the overall search.

“The initial few hours of any kind of search like this are absolutely crucial,” Heinz said. “So not having every asset at disposal for the search within the first few hours — is that going to have an impact? I cannot be sure, but it certainly doesn’t look or sound good.”

Cross, a vocal critic of Sheriff Chris Nanos, previously went on leave in 2024 after the department said he engaged in political activity while in uniform. He later filed a lawsuit. Heinz also endorsed Nanos’ Republican opponent in the 2024 race.

Sheriff Nanos has stood by his department’s actions in the high-profile case.

Guthrie was last seen Saturday night, January 30. Her family reported her missing Sunday morning, January 31, after she failed to return home in Tucson.

Investigators believe she may have been abducted and could be held against her will. Savannah Guthrie, a Today show co-host, and her siblings have released video pleas asking for the public’s help after media outlets reported receiving purported ransom notes.

Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, have not identified any suspects or persons of interest.