EXCLUSIVE: Pima County’s alleged multi-year scheme to suppress public records — even before Nancy Guthrie case
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Long before 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Catalina Foothills home in January, sources tell the Mirror US that the Pima County Sheriff’s Department was already allegedly engaged in a pattern of suppressing public records — one that insiders say flows directly from the top of the department.
The search for Guthrie, the mother of NBC Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, has now entered its 68th day.
Sheriff Chris Nanos has called the case “far from being cold,” with investigators processing more than 30,000 tips and working alongside the FBI. When I arrived at the Pima County Sheriff’s record request center on Thursday, I went in with the intention of gaining access to documents that pertained to Guthrie’s neighborhood properties — not directly related to the investigation. This follows city officials confirming a grim reality.
To my surprise, I was told that it would not happen during my visit to the office. “We’ve been advised from the top down to restrict information,” a clerk told me.
That account tracks with what Sgt. Aaron Cross, the Pima County Sheriff’s union president and a vocal critic of Nanos, told the Mirror US.
“Yes, it’s common, because they’re a–h—s. Not joking,” Cross wrote, when asked whether denying public records requests was standard practice. He added that a two-year-old request from a former sergeant also remains unresolved.
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Sgt. Aaron Cross called the alleged record suppression a “common” event
A sergeant, who served 21 years with the department before retiring, confirmed to the Mirror US on the agreement of anonymity, that he submitted a sweeping public records request roughly two years ago, covering all emails, documents, transcripts, recordings, and handwritten notes, and has received nothing in return.
“I have yet to hear back from it,” the former sergeant said. “Nothing, nothing at all.”
Farshad Dehbozorgi, a California attorney who deals with Freedom of Information Act (FIOA) requests on a daily basis, told the Mirror US, “There are exceptions for requests when there is an ongoing investigation.”
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Sheriff Chris Nanos has been leading the investigation into Nancy’s disappearance(Image: Getty Images)
“However, I am unsure why they wouldn’t provide the records requested, given that it does not seem that the request is attached to any investigation.”
After all, the requested documents were not pertaining to the crime scene — Guthrie’s house. It appeared this is just the latest in a chain of denials.
Cross confirmed to the Mirror US that the practice of denying records requests is not a recent development tied to the department, but rather a longstanding habit.
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Nancy Guthrie has now been missing for 68 days(Image: savannahguthrie/Instagram)
The Mirror US has reached out to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department multiple times for records, but they have so far declined.
A representative for Pima County Sheriff’s Department told the Mirror US, “The Pima County Sheriff’s Department complies with all applicable public records laws and statutes and processes records requests in accordance with legal requirements, recognized exemptions, and established procedures.”
The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for information in the Guthrie case. Tips can be submitted to 88-CRIME or 1-800-CALL-FBI.
