Tucson, Arizona — The outspoken Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who has led the high-profile search for missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, has spent far more time lifting weights at the gym than working from his office in recent days, according to exclusive details obtained by The Post.

Nanos, the 70-year-old Democrat elected in 2024, was seen at the Pima County Sheriff’s Office in Tucson on only two occasions last week — each for a relaxed seven-hour shift — while Nancy Guthrie has now been missing for 46 days with no suspect named and no significant leads announced. During the same five-day period, the embattled lawman visited the gym four times, sources confirmed.

Each morning, the sheriff was observed leaving his $850,000 home in a gated community on the outskirts of Tucson behind the wheel of his eye-catching white Corvette Stingray — the same color as his signature white hair — before driving to workouts lasting roughly 90 minutes. He returned home without stopping at headquarters on several days, including an entire no-show Friday and a low-key weekend spent almost exclusively at the gym.

Case Goes Cold as Criticism Mounts

Nancy Guthrie, mother of NBC “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie, vanished from her Catalina Foothills home in the early hours of February 1. More than seven weeks later, the investigation appears to have stalled, with Nanos and his team still unable to identify a suspect or produce a breakthrough lead.

The sheriff initially won public sympathy with emotional appeals for help, but his credibility has since eroded amid contradictory public statements and perceived missteps in the case. Critics have accused him of releasing Nancy’s home as a crime scene too quickly, bypassing the FBI’s elite lab in Quantico, Virginia, in favor of a private DNA testing company in Florida, and failing to deploy key resources such as search planes or cadaver-sniffing dogs.

A recall campaign against Nanos is now gaining traction. Republican congressional candidate Dan Butierez has mobilized volunteers to collect the 120,000 signatures needed to force a special election, describing the sheriff’s handling of the Guthrie case as “an embarrassment” for Pima County. Rank-and-file deputies reportedly issued a vote of no confidence in Nanos on Friday, though they have been reluctant to speak publicly for fear of repercussions.

Nanos Appears to Ease Off the Gas

A source close to the Guthrie family told The Post that Savannah and her siblings continue to cooperate fully with investigators, even as it seems the sheriff himself has slowed his efforts. “It looks like he’s taken his foot off the gas,” the source said.

Meanwhile, the FBI has quietly stepped up its own work, re-canvassing Nancy’s neighborhood this week and seeking security footage from two specific dates before the abduction, according to NewsNation reporter Brian Entin. Entin noted he has returned home after being told no major new leads are imminent.

Mixed and Contradictory Messages to the Media

Nanos has embraced the spotlight since the disappearance, granting multiple interviews that have often delivered confusing or conflicting information. When speculation swirled that Nancy’s son-in-law, Tomasso Cioni, might be a suspect, the sheriff refused to rule him out — only to publicly clear the entire Guthrie family more than a week later. Savannah Guthrie is said to be “livid” that the distraction slowed the real investigation.

In one appearance, Nanos ominously suggested the abduction could be “revenge for something” without elaborating. Just last week he told NBC News he believes the suspect “targeted” Nancy and “we believe we know why,” while simultaneously warning that the perpetrator could “absolutely” strike again in the retirement-heavy community. The contradictory messaging has alarmed local residents.

Pima County-based Betsy Brantner Smith of the National Police Association told The Post the sheriff’s media strategy is “haphazard” and “irresponsible.” “Normally, in a case like this, you would see regular press conferences with the sheriff or his designated spokesperson and someone from the FBI,” she said. “Instead, he speaks to whoever he wants, whenever he wants. That’s just not how law enforcement should operate.”

Smith added that Nanos’ comments have left elderly residents terrified. “We have a lot of terrified elderly people here. I was just talking to a friend whose 90-year-old mother is petrified that the man she heard about on the news is going to come and get her. That was very irresponsible.”

Dispute Over DNA Testing and FBI Cooperation

Nanos has also come under fire for his decision to send DNA evidence to a private lab rather than the FBI’s premier facility. He defended the move in a local TV interview, saying the FBI initially wanted to test only samples found near the crime scene, but he insisted on sending everything to the lab that already held all the profiles and markers. The FBI reportedly agreed.

The DNA recovered from Nancy’s home does not match her, her family members, or anyone known to have worked there. Former FBI agent Michael Harrigan told The Post that while private labs are increasingly used because of backlogs at government facilities, time is critical in a suspected kidnapping.

“Somebody’s got to take the lead and get this stuff done because she could still be alive,” Harrigan said. “Pima County was under incredible pressure. They may not have teamed with the FBI early on, but that’s excusable when a life hangs in the balance.”

Additional Troubles for the Sheriff

The Guthrie case is not Nanos’ only headache. He faces a $1.3 million lawsuit from an inmate at the Pima County jail and has been criticized for allegedly withholding information about previous suspensions from the public. The sheriff’s department has declined to comment on pending litigation.

Neither Nanos nor representatives from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department responded to requests for comment on Wednesday.

As the search for Nancy Guthrie enters its seventh week with no resolution in sight, the contrast between the sheriff’s gym routine and the family’s ongoing anguish has only intensified calls for accountability and a more focused investigation.