Pima County Sheriff’s Department has pushed back at criticism from FBI Director Kash Patel.

Notes and floral arrangements outside the residence of Nancy Guthrie.
(Anadolu via Getty Images)

FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday criticized Arizona law enforcement for its handling of the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s suspected abduction, saying the FBI was initially “kept out” of the probe.

Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC’s “Today” show coanchor Savannah Guthrie, was last seen by family members on Jan. 31 at the Tucson home of her older daughter, Annie Guthrie.

On Tuesday, Patel criticized the Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s handling of the investigation. Appearing on the Hang Out With Sean Hannity podcast, Patel said: “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.”

Patel said it was only after the FBI was brought in that investigators were able to access key Ring doorbell footage, which showed an armed man outside Nancy Guthrie’s home.

Patel also said the FBI offered to send DNA evidence to the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Va., for analysis. “We would have analyzed it within days and maybe gotten better information or more information.”

In a statement, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department pushed back at Patel’s comments: “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.”

The statement added that decisions regarding evidence processing were made “based on operational needs,” adding that the laboratory used by local police and the FBI Laboratory in Quantico worked “in close partnership from the outset.”

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing around noon on Feb. 1 after she did not show up at a friend’s house to watch an online church service.

The FBI has released footage of a masked and armed individual taken from her doorbell camera the morning she went missing. But authorities have still not named a suspect or identified a motive in the apparent abduction.

In late February, Savannah Guthrie announced that the Guthrie family was offering $1 million for information leading to her mother’s “recovery.”