The FBI director previously criticized Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, saying the agency was "kept out of the investigation" during the critical first 48 hours after Savannah Guthrie's mother went missing

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is shooting down criticism from FBI Director Kash Patel regarding the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie‘s mother, Nancy Guthrie. In a recent statement, Nanos responded to claims from Patel that federal investigators were “kept out of the investigation” during the critical first 48 hours after Guthrie went missing in January.

“Sheriff Nanos responded to the scene the night of the incident, providing immediate local leadership and oversight,” the statement reads. “A member of the FBI Task Force was also notified and present at that scene working alongside our personnel. The FBI was promptly notified by both our department and the Guthrie family. While the FBI Director was not on scene, coordination with the Bureau began without delay.”

Patel shared his critiques in an interview with Sean Hannity. “The first 48 hours of anyone’s disappearance are the most critical,” Patel said. “For four days, we were kept out of the investigation. And when we were finally let in, Sean, look what we did. We went in and got the Ring doorbell. And we said, ‘Hey, is anyone talking to Google?’ I called the leadership at Google … ‘Can we go into the data before it’s deleted and see what we can find?’ That’s why you have that image, because the FBI worked with Google to put that image out.”

Guthrie was first reported missing on Jan. 31. The 84-year-old is believed to have been taken from her home against her will and the FBI became involved in the search with several rewards being offered for her safe return. In February, the FBI released photos of a masked assailant approaching the elderly woman’s front door in the middle of the night. The agency said it received more than 13,000 tips from the public related to the disappearance, which has yielded no solid leads so far.

In its statement, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department added, “Decisions regarding evidence processing were made on scene based on operational needs. The laboratory utilized by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI Laboratory in Quantico have worked in close partnership from the outset and continue to collaborate in the analysis of evidence. We remain committed to a thorough, coordinated, and fact-based investigation and will continue working closely with our federal partners as the process moves forward.”