Four months following the vanishing of Nancy Guthrie, no suspect has been identified, and FBI Director Kash Patel informed NewsNation in an exclusive interview that the decision to utilize FBI assistance rests with local authorities.BI Director Kash Patel Discusses Challenges in Nancy Guthrie Case Investigation (AP)Authorities suspect that Guthrie was kidnapped from her residence in Arizona -before her being reported missing on February 1, 2026.In a conversation with NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich, Patel stated that the agency has been involved since the very first day, providing support in the investigation concerning the disappearance of the 84-year-old mother of TV anchor Savannah Guthrie.“We showed up immediately and offered our assistance. We were not let in for four days. And that’s their choice,” Patel said in reference to local law enforcement.Also Read: Nancy Guthrie suspect to come clean? Expert weighs in on surrender, ‘very different’ scenarioPima County Sheriff faces scrutinyAs time has elapsed without any suspect being identified and with Nancy Guthrie still unaccounted for, concerns have emerged regarding the choices made by Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos.One issue raised was the manner in which the department managed evidence, particularly the decision to send DNA evidence to a private laboratory for analysis.“We offered our assistance to go test the DNA. And it’s up to them. They chose to use a private laboratory,” Patel stated.Kash Patel highlights FBI's expertisePatel noted that when local authorities leverage the expertise of the FBI, it can lead to significant outcomes, referencing images of a suspect obtained from a camera located at Guthrie’s residence.“What the FBI is great at, what we did when we finally had access to the Ring doorbell camera, for example, we went to our partners at Google and we said, ‘Hey, we know that there wasn’t a paid subscription service, but let’s go look at the metadata and see if we can find a needle in a needle in a needle in a haystack,'” he stated.The FBI remains committed to providing support in the ongoing investigation, Patel stated, as detectives diligently examine leads in the pursuit of solving the case.“We continue to offer assistance,” Patel said. “I even visited our Tucson office, where we had 150 agents and analysts working on the Nancy Guthrie race to provide intelligence.”