Nancy Guthrie Case: Sheriff Working to Find Savannah's Mom Gave 'Snarky' Response When Asked 'Important Question,' Claims Journalist 

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos allegedly sent a "snarky" text telling journalist Briana Whitney to "give it a rest" when she reached out for clarification on the high-profile Nancy Guthrie investigation.

Appearing on a special episode of the "Crime Junkie" podcast with host Ashley Flowers, Whitney detailed her behind-the-scenes reporting on the disappearance of the 84-year-old mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie.

Shortly after Nancy’s disappearance, Briana's news team sent a text message to Sheriff Nanos at 9:50 p.m., attempting to confirm conflicting information regarding DNA evidence right before Arizona's standard 10 p.m. nightly newscast.

"To clarify where the DNA evidence was going was of the utmost importance to accurate reporting, right?" Brianna began. "In Arizona, the nightly newscasts are on at 10 p.m.; that is standard across the board, and as we all know in this job, the news doesn't sleep."

"We were getting ready for the evening newscast...and my team sent a text to Sheriff Chris Nanos [at 9:50 p.m.] just trying to clarify what was going on with the DNA evidence so that we could be right before the newscast," she continued.

Sheriff Nanos immediately texted back: "Did you happen to notice the time? Give it a rest.”

Whitney criticized the “snarky” response on air.

"I looked at the text, and I was like, 'You've got to be joking.' That text took more effort than simply a 'no' or a 'yes,'" she said.

The sheriff has faced widespread criticism from local officials, federal agencies and his own deputies over multiple high-profile controversies, coming under fire for making contradictory public statements and attending a college basketball game while the Guthrie family was publicly pleading for her return.

In March, the Pima County Deputies Organization (the union representing his deputies) delivered a unanimous vote of no confidence on the sheriff.

Out of the voting members, 241 voted for him to resign immediately, citing a complete erosion of trust, organizational mismanagement and retaliation.

Union leadership stated that Chris likely would never have been certified as a peace officer in Arizona had he properly disclosed his disciplinary background in Texas. He has consistently defended his record, dismissing the resume discrepancies as administrative errors and claiming that his four decades of service in Pima County have been free of disciplinary issues.

Nancy was abducted from her Tucson, Ariz., home on February 1, and so far, no suspects have been publicly identified.

During the same "Crime Junkie" episode, Briana made headlines by revealing the full contents of unverified ransom notes sent to the family, which demanded millions in Bitcoin and claimed Nancy had tragically passed away shortly after being taken.

The investigation remains active and is being co-handled by the Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI.