Pima County Sheriff’s Office Defends $1.35M Lawsuit While Leading Nancy Guthrie Search

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office, which is heading the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, is simultaneously defending a separate federal lawsuit seeking $1.35 million. The suit, filed by inmate Christopher Marx, alleges that deputies failed to follow COVID-19 sanitization protocols while he was in custody, putting his health and life at risk.

Nancy Guthrie's Tucson, Ariz., house; Nancy and Savannah GuthrieCredit: Joe Raedle/Getty; Don Arnold/WireImage

Lawsuit Details

The complaint, filed March 5 in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, names Sheriff Chris Nanos and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. Marx alleges a deputy moved between a quarantined COVID-19 unit and Marx’s locked housing unit without proper disinfection and also delivered meals during that shift. Marx says those actions “put my life in jeopardy.” The filing quotes him saying, “I could of [sic] caught COVID-19. I could of [sic] died.”

Masked man seen at Nancy Guthrie's home on Feb. 1Credit: Pima County Sheriff's Department

Marx is seeking $1.35 million, which he says would be used to buy two apartment buildings to provide six months’ free rent for homeless residents, and he is also asking for a formal apology from the sheriff’s department. When contacted on March 10, a department spokesperson said Sheriff Nanos does not comment on pending litigation.

Savannah Guthrie and mother Nancy GuthrieCredit: Savannah Guthrie/Instagram

Investigation Into Nancy Guthrie’s Disappearance

Separately, the department — joined by the FBI — is leading a high-profile investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie. Authorities say Nancy, a mother of three, vanished from her Tucson home on the night of Feb. 1 after being seen entering her garage at 9:50 p.m. following dinner with her daughter.

Key Evidence and Timeline

• Doorbell camera disconnected at 1:47 a.m. local time.
• A dark figure was detected approaching the house at 2:12 a.m..
• Guthrie’s pacemaker was disconnected from its app at 2:28 a.m..
• Residents about 2.5 miles away released Ring footage showing a car speeding past at about 2:36 a.m., minutes after investigators believe the abduction occurred.
• Investigators also reported blood spatter on the front porch that tested positive as Guthrie’s.

Authorities released Nest camera images and video showing a masked, armed man on the Guthrie front porch in the early morning hours of Feb. 1. The FBI described the suspect as a male about 5'9"–5'10" with an average build, wearing a black 25-liter "Ozark Trail Hiker Pack" that may have been sold at Walmart.

Rewards and How to Help

The Guthrie family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to Nancy’s recovery and is donating $500,000 to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The FBI has an active $100,000 reward as well. Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.

Note: The lawsuit’s quoted language contained grammatical errors in the original complaint; the assistant has preserved the quoted text and indicated the error with [sic].