FBI Director Kash Patel shared shocking new details about the Nancy Guthrie investigation.
Speaking with Sean Hannity on Tuesday, Patel revealed that the Sheriff’s department tried to keep the FBI out of the investigation for four days.
“The first 48 hours of anyone’s disappearance are the most critical,” Patel said in the May 5 episode of “Hang Out with Sean Hannity.” “It’s a state and local law enforcement matter. What we, the FBI, do is say, ‘Hey, we’re here to help. What do you need? What can we do?’ And for four days, we were kept out of the investigation.”
Nancy Guthrie Update: FBI Director Kash Patel Details How They Obtained Security Footage
Patel noted that once the FBI became involved in the Nancy Guthrie case, crucial evidence was finally obtained.
“And when we were finally let in, look what we did. We went in and got the Ring doorbell, and we said, ‘Hey, is anyone talking to Google?'” Patel said.
The FBI director revealed that he coordinated with Google and asked the company to access cached records to retrieve the data, even without an active subscription.
“That’s why you have that image, because the FBI worked with Google to put that image out,” Patel stressed. “We could have gotten it days before.”
Patel believes the FBI may have been able to gather even more data if the agency had been involved earlier in the case.
Kash Patel Says Aircraft Was on Standby to Transport DNA Evidence
Patel also addressed the issue of DNA evidence testing and why it wasn’t sent to Quantico early on the Nancy Guthrie investigation.
The FBI director revealed that agents were prepared to transport the evidence at any time, but noted that the decision ultimately rested with the sheriff’s department.
“We have Quantico, best lab in the world,” Patel added. “I had a fixed-wing aircraft on the ground, ready to move it immediately through the night. And they said we’re sending it to Florida. They have jurisdiction, so it’s their call.”
NBC/GettyWhen asked whether it was a bad call by the sheriff’s department, Patel said that was ultimately for the public to decide.
“What we can do is continue to offer support,” the FBI director continued. “We would have analyzed it within days and maybe gotten better information or more information. Our lab’s just better than any other private lab out there, and we didn’t get a chance to do that. So, I understand everybody’s frustrations on that.”
Meanwhile, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos responded to Patel’s recent interview.
“Sheriff Nanos responded to the scene the night of the incident, providing immediate local leadership and oversight,” the statement said. “While the FBI director was not on scene, coordination with the bureau began without delay.”
The statement added that decisions about evidence processing were “made on scene based on operational needs.”
“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,” the statement concluded.
