since Nancy Guthrie After the case began, Pima County Sheriff, Chris Nanoshas attracted close attention from the public and experts. Now, he’s sharing news about the personal tragedy he experienced throughout the investigation. The law enforcement officer’s brother died the day after Nancy disappeared. This fact adds another heartbreaking dimension to this deeply tragic story.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos reveals his brother died the day after Nancy Guthrie was taken away
Photography: Jan Sonnenmair, Getty Images
(Photo by Jan Sonnenmair via Getty Images)
Despite the FBI’s involvement in Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has been a public figure in the investigation from the beginning. This is so because he has repeatedly addressed the media to provide updates and refute rumors. While his interactions with the media have been focused on trying to get to the bottom of what happened Savannah Guthrie’s Mom, he recently spoke briefly about his loss.
In an interview with the Daily Mail in February 2026, he told the media that he was thick-skinned when it came to criticism. In this case, Nanos shared that his brother, who was in hospice, died the day after Nancy was taken away. The man spent days trying to return his mother to her family, but he recently lost his own sibling, adding a poignant twist to an already devastating case.
Sheriff Chris Nanos defends Guthrie family and his team amid criticism
Photography: Jan Sonnenmair, Getty Images
(Photo by Jan Sonnenmair via Getty Images)
A high-profile criminal case like this will naturally attract severe criticism from all walks of life. That’s certainly the case for Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and his team. Even the Daily Mail’s article revealing the death of the police chief’s brother had a headline that called the investigation into the Guthrie case “chaotic.” This is especially unbelievable because Nanos was quoted in the report as calling for the media to be more responsible.
In an interview with the media, the Sheriff urged online media to stop speculating about Tommaso Cioni. “People out there can be really ugly and mean and nasty without the truth,” he said. “I tell my reporters, you need to be a little more responsible… because that’s really nasty stuff.”
After stressing that no one has been excluded from the investigation, Nanos dismissed unfounded online rumors about members of the Guthrie family. “I know the experts are out there. They’re going to say, well, he was the last person to see her alive. We understand those things. But, gosh, you left a mark on someone who might have been completely innocent. More important than that, he’s family.”
He also discussed observers who criticized certain aspects of the investigation, such as how quickly police released the crime scene at Nancy Guthrie’s home. Nanos explained that he believed his officers had thoroughly searched the scene for evidence. “My officers were there for almost 20 hours, they processed the scene, completed their work and brought in all the evidence,” he said. “Then the FBI came and did their thing.”
Nanos’ defense of the investigation also focused on the allegations against him personally. In response to reports that he blocked the FBI from obtaining evidence, he denied it outright. “This is so far-fetched. Why would I do this? It makes no sense.”
This article was originally published by Men’s Journal on February 16, 2026, and first appeared in the News section. Click here to add Men’s Diary as your go-to source.
