The mother of a beloved TV host vanished from her home three months ago, and now the sheriff leading the search is fighting for his own career. Nancy Guthrie, 84, was taken from her Tucson neighborhood in a case that captivated the nation—but the man charged with finding her is drowning in scandal.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos faces allegations he lied under oath about his past as a Texas cop. Two county supervisors are demanding his resignation, claiming he hid a history of suspensions and disciplinary actions from the 1970s and 1980s when he served in El Paso.
“This is accountability for a guy who has evaded accountability for decades,” said Dr. Matt Heinz, a county supervisor. “He is himself a public safety threat.” Heinz and the board’s only Republican, Steve Christy, plan to move to vacate Nanos’s office next week.
Under oath in a deposition, Nanos said he was never suspended as a law enforcement officer. But records from El Paso tell a different story—multiple suspensions and a resignation in lieu of termination. The discrepancy now fuels accusations of perjury.
Nanos’s attorney offers a narrower version: the sheriff resigned in 1982 after a dispute over towing vehicles, offered to resign rather than accept a three-day suspension. But records show he resigned in lieu of termination, not simply discipline, and that earlier suspensions involved tardiness, off-duty conduct, and even negligently firing a gun.
The board may not have the votes to remove Nanos—he’s an elected official with limited oversight. But an obscure 1873 Arizona law gives them some authority if he fails to answer questions under oath. According to the supervisors, he missed that deadline entirely.
“He’s already failed that request. There’s no going back,” Christy said. “If he doesn’t resign, we will move toward vacating his office.” Heinz added that even without a majority, they can ask the state attorney general to investigate the perjury allegations.
Meanwhile, Nancy Guthrie’s abduction remains unsolved after 13 weeks. A hair sample from her home was sent to a private lab in Florida instead of the FBI’s Quantico facility—a decision that reignited a bitter feud between Nanos and federal investigators.
FBI Director Kash Patel publicly called out the sheriff, saying the bureau was “kept out of the investigation” for four days. Nanos fired back, claiming FBI task force members were present from the start and that coordination began without delay.
Supervisor Heinz urged Nanos to hand over the case to the FBI entirely. “Almost every other local jurisdiction would have done so by now,” he said. “The FBI covers the vast majority of the cost.” A combined reward of over $1.2 million hangs in the air for anyone with information.
The sheriff’s office did not respond to requests for comment. But with a board meeting looming, a potential perjury referral, and a missing woman’s family demanding answers, the pressure on Chris Nanos has never been higher.
