Nancy Guthrie case sparks clash as FBI Director Kash Patel rips sheriff

FBI Director Kash Patel criticized section authorities for their handling of the Nancy Guthrie missing persons investigation, stating that his bureau was initially kept "out of the loop."

Patel voiced his disapproval during an quality connected the "Hang Out with Sean Hannity" podcast that aired Tuesday. He said the FBI was sidelined by the Pima County Sheriff's Department for 4 days arsenic clip was of the essence successful the archetypal days of Guthrie's disappearance.

"What we, the FBI, bash is say, ‘Hey, we're present to help. What bash you need?’" Patel told Hannity. "What tin we do? And for 4 days, we were kept retired of the investigation."

Additionally, alternatively of having DNA grounds taken to an FBI laboratory successful Quantico, Va., for testing, Nanos alternatively elected to person the samples shipped to a backstage laboratory successful Florida.

ARIZONA SHERIFF BLOCKING FBI FROM KEY EVIDENCE IN ESCALATING GUTHRIE CASE: SOURCE

FBI Director Kash Patel criticized the handling of the Nancy Guthrie missing persons lawsuit by section authorities during an quality connected a podcast that aired Tuesday. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

"The archetypal 48 hours of anyone's disappearance are the astir critical," Patel said, noting that portion section authorities had jurisdiction, the hold was costly. "We would person analyzed it wrong days and possibly gotten amended accusation — much information."

"Our laboratory is conscionable amended than immoderate different backstage laboratory retired there, and we didn't get a accidental to bash that," helium added.

In response, the Pima County Sheriff's Department said that decisions regarding grounds processing were made on-scene based connected operational needs.

FBI HAS RECEIVED DNA DATA FROM NANCY GUTHRIE CASE: SOURCES

Nancy Guthrie is the 84-year-old parent of NBC "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie. (Getty Images/Fox News Digital)

"The laboratory utilized by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI Laboratory successful Quantico person worked successful adjacent concern from the outset and proceed to collaborate successful the investigation of evidence," Sheriff Chris Nanos said successful a connection pursuing Patel's podcast interview. 

"A subordinate of the FBI Task Force was besides notified and contiguous astatine that country moving alongside our personnel. The FBI was promptly notified by some our section and the Guthrie family," the connection added. "While the FBI Director was not connected scene, coordination with the Bureau began without delay."

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos speaks to the media successful Catalina, Arizona, connected Feb. 3, portion answering questions astir the hunt for Nancy Guthrie. ( Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images)

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Once FBI agents were granted access, they worked with Google to propulsion cached information from a doorbell camera strategy to retrieve cardinal footage that mightiness person different been lost.

Guthrie went missing from her Tucson, Arizona, location connected Feb. 1. Investigators person followed up connected dozens of leads, but she remains missing.