Nancy Guthrie Case: United Cajun Navy VP Claims Pima County Sheriff Rejected Organization's Help in Search for Savannah's Mom

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office rejected all operational help from the United Cajun Navy in the five-month-long search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie.

Organization Vice President Brian Trascher revealed on NewsNation that the nonprofit submitted a comprehensive 41-page search plan that was ultimately rejected due to a blanket policy against using external support.

The United Cajun Navy is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to rapid disaster response, search and rescue, and humanitarian aid.

Formed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the all-volunteer group utilizes private boats, trucks, and drones to rescue and assist communities nationwide.

The group proposed deploying expert K-9 tracking teams and advanced drone teams equipped with thermal technology in the desperate search for Nancy.

Operations were designed to focus along the U.S.-Mexico border, where the organization believed the missing mother of Today Show co-host Savannah Guthrie could have potentially ended up.

"We really felt strongly that there was a good chance that she could have ended up somewhere along the border," Trascher said in a Monday, June 30, interview on NewsNation's Katie Pavlich Tonight.

The highly detailed, 41-page operational directive was offered to local law enforcement at no cost to taxpayers.

"We're very good at search and rescue. We have a lot of good resources we could have brought to the area; other partner groups that we work with in the area are willing to come to the area and help us search,” he said.

He added that his organization could have helped as soon as Nancy was reported missing in February.

"I think early on, when we were closer to the abduction date, it would have been a lot more beneficial. At this point — I hate to say it — but you'd just be looking for remains, which would be valuable for the family, to be able to have that closure. But for some reason, they just decided they were not going to take the outside help. So we just kind of went back to what we’re doing,” Trascher said.

A spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, led by Sheriff Chris Nanos, confirmed the decision.

While the department expressed gratitude for the volunteer group's willingness to assist, they stated explicitly that the agency will not be utilizing external operational support at this time.

The rejection has intensified public frustration and community backlash surrounding the investigation.

Sheriff Nanos has faced heavy criticism regarding his overall handling of the case. Controversies include a four-day delay in letting the FBI access the crime scene, releasing the family home back to relatives too quickly, and opting to send DNA evidence to a slower private lab instead of prioritizing FBI testing facilities.

"We are in agony, and we cannot be at peace," Savannah said on the June 23 episode of Today. "No matter how much I try to come out here every day and smile and find that joy, and I will — I promise I will — this is a moment to tell you that we need your help. We're begging for help, and I'm not going to miss that opportunity."