FBI May Take Over Nancy Guthrie Case as Local Resources Near Breaking Point, Former Officials Reveal

Nearly one month after Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Tucson, Ariz., home, questions are mounting about whether federal authorities could soon take primary control of the investigation.

The 84-year-old mother of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie was last seen on the night of January 31.

In the early morning hours of February 1, a masked and armed man was caught on camera disabling her doorbell. Since then, the case has intensified, and now former law enforcement officials are weighing in on the possibility of an FBI takeover.

Former FBI Special Agent Maureen O'Connell told NewsNation the family can ask for federal authorities to assume control, but that decision ultimately lies elsewhere.

"Well, certainly they can request anything they want, whether or not the sheriff will acquiesce is a different story,” she said.

However, she pushed back against criticism of local authorities, adding, "I don't think that the service being provided by the Pima County sheriff's deputies is subpar. I think they're doing everything they can, and they're working hand in glove with the FBI. They're all out there pouring their hearts and soul into this investigation. So, if there are issues, they're usually at the top. They're usually not among those boots on the ground that are doing the work."

Former Pima County SWAT commander Bob Krygier echoed that sentiment but suggested resources could soon reach a breaking point.

"Brian [Entin], I think at some point that bridge is gonna have to be crossed. The resources that the FBI provides are exponentially more than what the sheriff's department can provide," he said during the primetime special Missing: The Nancy Guthrie Mystery, which aired on Saturday, February 21. "That being said, I agree with what Maureen said: the boots on the ground are working their tails off, and they're going to continue to do that, but at some point, you know, there's gonna be critical mass for them."

Bob added: "The hours they're putting in, the number of people, the other folks in Pima County who — bad guys haven't stopped committing crimes. So we're gonna have to continue working hard with the federal partners, and see where that takes us. But at some point, I do think that the FBI is gonna probably take over primary on this, and it's for the better."

As investigators continue their work, new developments have emerged.

A group of volunteers searching near Nancy's home recently discovered a backpack along a nearby road. Sheriff Chris Nanos confirmed on the Monday, February 23, episode of Today that the bag is not the same one seen on surveillance footage of the suspect.

Authorities previously revealed that the suspect's backpack is sold exclusively at Walmart.

"We're working with our Walmart managers all across the state to try to find out how many sales were there of that backpack in the last 20, 30 days, the last 60 days," the sheriff said last week. "And can we do something with that? Can we break it — maybe we'll find a credit card or a bank card. Maybe we'll find a video of the guy walking in."

Investigators are also attempting to identify the weapon seen in the footage.

"We know he had a gun. We know he had a holster that had some pretty unique characteristics. We can't quite identify it yet, but that's being worked on," he shared. "So naturally, we go to our gun shops everywhere and say: 'Have you seen this guy? Can you help us identify this weapon? Can you help us identify this holster?'"