Pizza Delivery to Crime Scene? Sheriff in Nancy Guthrie Case Accused of 'Corrupting' Probe

The Nancy Guthrie disappearance case grows more perplexing nearly two months after she was last seen on January 31, 2026. The FBI now searches areas near her Arizona home for clues, while new criticism targets Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos over crime scene management.

A former sheriff has raised serious concerns about potential mistakes at the crime scene, since it was opened for pizza delivery.

Right after Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie's mother Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on February 1, the FBI took over the case. They began an extensive search of roads near her Arizona home on February 11, but no major breakthrough emerged.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department said investigators stopped and detained a man during a traffic check. He was questioned for several hours in connection with the case and later released by authorities.

The man identified himself as Carlos Palazuelos, a 27-year-old delivery driver, who told NBC News that he was "terrified" during questioning. "[It’s] something I didn’t do. I felt like I was being kidnapped, bro. They didn’t tell me anything," he said.

Although Palazuelos was released after questioning, his presence near Nancy Guthrie’s home raised questions. Investigators sought to understand why he was in that area and if it linked to the case.

After the 27-year-old delivery driver was caught and identified, the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie remained unsolved for two months, raising concerns about case handling. A missing report was filed on February 1 after the 84-year-old vanished from her Tucson home, yet investigators found no major clues.

The slow process led former sheriff Dr. Richard Carmona to question Chris Nanos's actions. Speaking on Brian Entin Investigates, Carmona addressed the delivery driver's detainment and wondered how Nanos was managing the case.

Carmona explained that crime scenes are typically secured until all evidence is collected, but he claimed that Nanos failed to do so. As Nanos faces a no-confidence vote over case management, Carmona questioned reports of food deliveries at the scene.

"If you're going to court and you're making a case, a defense attorney says, 'Well, that crime scene was corrupted, you had people delivering pizzas.' How do we know this is real evidence? Once it has been corrupted, that's the end of it," Dr. Richard Carmona said.

He warned that opening the scene too early could create court problems and questioned if deliveries affected the evidence.