White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Friday that FBI Director Kash Patel assured her the bureau is operating in Arizona and offering local authorities “full resources and weight of the federal government” as the search continues for Nancy Guthrie, who disappeared from her Tucson-area home late last month.
Leavitt made the remarks in a televised interview after being asked about reported tensions between federal agents and local officials over the direction of the investigation.
Nancy Guthrie case: White House says FBI cannot “take over” without local handoff
Leavitt said the FBI would need local authorities to formally cede control if it were to assume primary responsibility for the case. She added that she spoke with Patel late Thursday and that he told her the FBI has been on the ground and that he had traveled to Arizona this week.
Leavitt also pointed to the FBI’s public appeals for information, including the release of new images and an increased reward, as evidence of ongoing federal involvement.
Evidence dispute emerges between sheriff’s office and federal investigators
The comments came as reporting highlighted a dispute over access to physical evidence, including a glove and DNA recovered in connection with the investigation. A law enforcement source told Reuters that federal officials sought to send certain items to the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, while the Pima County Sheriff’s Department opted to use a private laboratory in Florida.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has publicly rejected claims that his office is withholding evidence, saying the approach was intended to keep testing consolidated with other samples already being processed, according to the Guardian.
FBI raises reward and urges public tips
The FBI’s Phoenix field office has asked anyone with information to contact the bureau and has offered a reward for information leading to Guthrie’s recovery and arrests in the case.
Arizona Public Media reported Thursday that the FBI announced a $100,000 reward as the search continued and urged the public to submit information through federal and local tip lines.
The investigation remains led by local authorities, with federal agents providing support as the search enters its second week since Guthrie was reported missing