Sheriff Chris Nanos has seen a $1.35 million civil rights lawsuit against him and his department thrown out in an Arizona court, just as the Pima County lawman remains in the glare of global attention over the search for missing Today show host Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy Guthrie. The case, brought by inmate Christopher Michael Marx, was dismissed on 1 July 2026 after a judge ruled that he had failed to comply with court orders regarding basic filing requirements.
Nanos, the elected sheriff of Pima County, is the official leading the investigation into the sudden disappearance of Nancy, a case that has pulled in international media and placed his every past controversy under a microscope. The separate lawsuit over alleged COVID-era neglect in his jail system first surfaced in March 2026 and quickly became part of that scrutiny, raising questions about how his office has handled vulnerable people in custody.
