Overwhelming 'No Confidence': 98% of Officers Oppose Sheriff Leading Nancy Guthrie Hunt

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is facing a bruising backlash over his handling of the Nancy Guthrie hunt in Tucson, Arizona, after a retired SWAT commander claimed that 98 per cent of commissioned officers in his own department had delivered a 'no confidence' verdict in his leadership in an internal morale poll.

The news came after Nanos, who leads the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, told NBC News on Tuesday that investigators were 'definitely closer' to identifying whoever is responsible for her disappearance from her Tucson home on 1 February. His optimistic tone jarred with at least one former senior colleague, who argues that the sheriff's public messaging is clumsy and his command hollowed out by poor morale.

Sheriff Nanos Under Fire As Nancy Guthrie Hunt Drags On

Appearing on the 'Surviving The Survivor' podcast on Wednesday, former lieutenant and retired SWAT commander Bob Krygier accused Sheriff Nanos of mishandling both the internal culture of the Pima County Sheriff's Office and the public-facing side of the Guthrie investigation.

Krygier, who spent nearly three decades at the agency, said Nanos had a tendency to get lost in his own delivery when speaking about major cases.

'He is not the best one to deliver those messages most times,' the former SWAT leader said, arguing that Nanos 'gets wrapped up in his thoughts' and even when he is not being challenged 'sometimes just repeats himself over and over'.

That criticism was directed squarely at Nanos' comments on NBC, where the sheriff insisted that detectives were moving closer to a breakthrough, citing 'a lot of intel, a lot of leads' and saying it was now 'time to just go to work'. Krygier suggested that such language risked sounding like spin rather than sober assessment.

'No Confidence' Claim Deepens Questions Over Nancy Guthrie Hunt

Krygier told the podcast that an internal morale survey taken 'a couple years ago' found that 98 per cent of the department had given Nanos a vote of no confidence 'for various reasons'.

'Think about that number,' he said. 'We have roughly 450 commissioned officers. We're not a small agency. This isn't Mayberry. We need to do better.'

According to Krygier, the sheriff did not meaningfully engage with that result. 'He chose not to follow up with the unions and say, "Hey, how can I fix this?"' the former commander claimed, adding that the lack of response 'just makes things more difficult than it has to be'.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department has been asked for comment on Krygier's allegations but had not responded at the time of writing.

Family Pleas And Public Pressure In The Nancy Guthrie Case

The Nancy Guthrie hunt has now stretched beyond a month, with the 84-year-old still missing and few confirmed details made public without a named suspect.

While law enforcement figures trade views on leadership, the human centre of the Nancy Guthrie hunt remains her family, and particularly Savannah Guthrie, who has used her platform to keep attention on her missing mother.

Savannah has posted emotional appeals on social media and recently visited a makeshift vigil outside Nancy's Tucson home, where candles and messages have been left by neighbours and well-wishers.

In a message shared on Instagram on Monday, she said her family could feel an 'outpouring of love and prayers' from the local community and people across the United States. 'Please don't stop praying and hoping with us. Bring her home,' she wrote.