Floundering Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos insisted Tuesday that authorities are “definitely closer” to tracking down the suspect or suspects tied to Nancy Guthrie’s mysterious kidnapping.
Nanos made the bold claim during an interview with NBC News when asked if investigators are any closer to that major break in the case We — even as he’s faced waves of scrutiny and criticism over his handling of the high-profile probe.
“I think the investigators are definitely closer,” he said. “We got a lot of intel, a lot of leads, but now it’s time to just go to work.”
The mother of “Today” star Savannah Guthrie has been missing since Feb. 1 after law enforcement believes she was taken from her Tucson home in the middle of the night.
The confounding case, which the FBI is also working on, has appeared to stump authorities over the past month with Nanos receiving a considerable amount of backlash over how he’s led the probe.
Nanos has become the center of attention during a series of rambling press conferences, and has doled out conflicting information near the start of the case when speaking with individual news outlets.
Other moves that have raised eyebrows include surrendering Nancy Guthrie’s home just days into the probe and not launching the department’s high-tech aircraft in the immediate aftermath of the beloved grandmother’s disappearance.
Nanos has defended himself and the department amid the growing heat.