Sheriff Chris Nanos spotted at basketball game during Nancy Guthrie search

EXCLUSIVE: TUCSON, Ariz. —  The sheriff investigating the apparent kidnapping of “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother was spotted sitting near the front row at a college basketball game Saturday night, even as Guthrie and her two siblings posted a plaintive plea on Instagram for the safe return of their mother. 

Fox News Digital obtained photos of Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who is facing increased scrutiny as the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance drags on, attending a matchup between the University of Arizona and Oklahoma State. Early Sunday morning will mark one week since Guthrie, 84, disappeared from her suburban Tucson home. 

The source of the photos, who requested anonymity, slammed Nanos for attending the game while the search continues. 

“I think it wasn’t a good move. This whole thing being so fresh and nationwide, maybe worldwide,” the source said. “I don’t think it was good for him to do it. He’s a major part of the investigation, so it didn’t look good to me. Very sad to see him at the Arizona basketball game.”

Only minutes after the game ended, Savannah Guthrie and siblings Annie and Camron shared a third message on the NBC star’s Instagram page, pleading with possible ransomers to contact them.

“We received your message and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her,” Savannah Guthrie said, seated between her brother and sister. “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”

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On Friday, a second purported statement from alleged kidnappers was sent to 13 News in Tucson. Details of the contents of the statement have not been made public, but the message did not provide proof of life.

Nanos has come under fire twice in recent days for his handling of the investigation.

Fox News Digital learned on Friday that a critical aspect of the investigation was delayed due to Nanos’ dispute with the pilot of the sheriff’s department’s high-tech search aircraft. The pilot was demoted to street patrol after the dispute.

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Consequently, the plane’s takeoff was delayed for three hours after the investigation began.

“Three hours in a search for a vulnerable adult is an eternity,” a law enforcement source with knowledge of the situation told Fox News Digital.

The Pima County Deputy’s Organization said it disagreed with the decision to transfer the “high-performing pilot” at the time, as it left a crucial law enforcement asset short-staffed.

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“The pilot even made a personal plea to Sheriff Nanos but was ignored, and he was sent to patrol,” a union official told Fox Digital. “This is unfortunately typical of Sheriff Nanos’ leadership style. The most experienced Search and Rescue deputy in the department was transferred to Patrol late last year, without a replacement, simply because he’d ‘been there too long.’ This left a critical unit short-staffed during one of the highest profile searches in PCSD history and during the busiest time of year for Search and Rescue.”

Nanos also admitted in a Friday interview with the Arizona Republic that he made other missteps early in the investigation.

He said that his department released Guthrie’s home as a crime scene too soon, only to return days later to recover additional evidence. Nanos acknowledged that the scene should have remained secured longer and that other agencies could have been called in earlier.

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He has received scathing criticism on X from those following along with the investigation, where he has been called a “bumbling idiot” and a “complete embarrassment.”

Nanos has been a law enforcement official for half a century, beginning his career with the El Paso Police Department in Texas in 1976.

In 1984, he became a corrections officer in Pima County, and the next year was promoted to deputy.

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In the 30 years that followed, he focused on violent crimes, sex crimes and narcotics interdiction as he rose through the ranks of the department. He became chief of the department’s investigative bureau in 2012, and in 2014, he became chief deputy.

The next year, he was appointed sheriff, but lost an election in 2016 to retain the position. He ran again in 2020, winning by a narrow margin.

His 2024 reelection bid, which he won by a mere 481 votes, was marred by scandal.

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In the weeks leading up to that election, Nanos reportedly placed his opponent Lappin, a lieutenant at the Pima County Jail, on administrative leave, ordering her not to discuss the reasoning for his decision. He did the same to Sgt. Aaron Cross, an outspoken opponent of Nanos and the head of the Pima County Deputies Organization.

Cross reportedly campaigned against Nanos, holding a sign on a street corner saying “Deputies Don’t Want Nanos,” just before he was placed on leave. Nanos claimed Cross campaigned against him while wearing his Pima County sheriff’s uniform in breach of department rules, which Cross denied. Cross later filed a federal lawsuit against Nanos, claiming the sheriff violated his First Amendment rights.

Nanos also reportedly faced a criminal election interference investigation stemming from the matter.

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The sheriff has also faced heat for his handling of an internal investigation into a 2022 sexual assault of a female deputy by a supervisor in 2022.

Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.