The Arizona sheriff who is leading the investigation into the mysterious disappearance of Nancy Guthrie might be fired from his position very soon.
Democrat Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is now facing a recall effort from locals who are furious about his botched handling of the case.
Local news reporter Mary Coleman shared the details:
SHERIFF RECALL EFFORT: We’ve confirmed with the Pima County Elections Department that a recall effort has been launched for Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos. It was filed on March 12th.
The sheriff says, “We’re aware of the recall and it’s the right of the people. We’ll always… pic.twitter.com/guLTaNylPS
— Mary Coleman (@Mary_reports) March 18, 2026
SHERIFF RECALL EFFORT: We’ve confirmed with the Pima County Elections Department that a recall effort has been launched for Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos. It was filed on March 12th.
The sheriff says, “We’re aware of the recall and it’s the right of the people. We’ll always honor the will of the people and that’s what makes democracy.”
To move forward, 120,000 signatures have to be collected in the next 120 days to prompt the actual recall.
This comes in the wake of scrutiny over the handling of the Nancy Guthrie investigation.
84-year-old Nancy Guthrie has been missing for around 6 weeks now, and investigators basically have no leads.
Recall that this sheriff delayed working with the FBI at a critical moment early in the investigation by refusing to send key evidence to Quantico.
In a case like the Guthrie disappearance, time is of the essence.
Now, Arizona Republican congressional candidate Daniel Butierez is leading the charge to recall Sheriff Nanos.
He says that Nanos’ own deputies wanted to initiate the recall process, but they were afraid he would punish them for doing so.
The New York Post has more:
Daniel Butierez, a Republican congressional candidate, confirmed that he has already initiated the lengthy recall process.
He said he has 500 volunteers working to collect signatures to oust Nanos from office.
“This is a bipartisan effort. It’s not like we’re trying to get signatures from one party or the other,” Butierez told The Post from his home in Pima County.
“He has been an embarrassment to Tucson and to Pima County with this Nancy Guthrie case,” he said, adding that last week’s allegations that the Sheriff lied under oath about his employment history were the final straw.
“Everyone’s pretty disgusted, Democrats and Republicans,” Butierez added.
Butierez, who is standing against Dem Rep. Adelita Grijalva in November, said he made the decision to begin recall proceedings on Wednesday, after speaking to frustrated rank-and-file Pima County officers.
He said that Pima County deputies had told him they wanted to launch the recall campaign themselves, but were “afraid of repercussions from Sheriff Nanos.”
Police in Pima County “had a unanimous vote of no confidence” in Sheriff Nanos on Friday, Butierez added.
The recall effort against Sheriff Nanos comes after another scandal regarding his work history.
Sheriff Nanos stands accused of lying under oath by claiming to have never been suspended during his time as a law enforcement officer.
His record says otherwise.
Arizona Central reported:
Three months ago, under oath in a Tucson conference room, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos was asked if he had ever been suspended as a law enforcement officer.
Nanos said “no,” according to a deposition transcript reviewed by The Arizona Republic. That statement is at odds with the sheriff’s record.
Nanos was suspended eight separate times as a young police officer in Texas, according to employment records from the El Paso Police Department.
The deposition came to light after The Republic uncovered new details about his departure from the El Paso Police Department in 1982.
Nanos resigned instead of being terminated from the El Paso department after several disciplinary issues, including excessive force, a shot fired and off-duty gambling, records show.
The sheriff, a Democrat in his second elected term, has brushed off questions about his employment history by saying the incidents happened decades ago. However, Nanos was asked about his past as recently as December, the transcript shows, and he misrepresented his work history.
Sheriff Nanos addressed the allegations of lying about his work history in an interview with a local news outlet.
You can watch what he had to say here:
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is addressing recent media reports questioning the accuracy of his work history. He responded to the criticism during an exclusive interview with News 4 Tucson’s Monica Garcia. pic.twitter.com/CGZLDLqOGl
— KVOA News 4 Tucson (@KVOA) March 11, 2026
What are your thoughts?
Do you think Sheriff Nanos should be recalled?
