Emails reveal reality TV crew’s behind-the-scenes access to sheriff now leading Nancy Guthrie probe

FIRST ON FOX: The Pima County Sheriff’s Department worked intimately with a world TV unit to supply footage and entree to deputies — including video of arrests and use-of-force incidents that raised interior concerns — according to emails obtained by Fox News Digital.

The emails besides uncover that the caput of the department's homicide and acold lawsuit units had been rotated retired successful the twelvemonth earlier the suspected abduction of Nancy Guthrie from her location successful Tucson's Catalina Foothills. Guthrie, the 84-year-old parent of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, is believed to person been kidnapped months aft filming for the amusement ended.

A June 18, 2025 email from amusement shaper Amanda Riley shows she asked for the contacts of the sergeants moving respective units. In a reply 2 days later, Capt. Robert Koumal informed her that "the section has experienced immoderate rotational re-assignments since past year," and revealed that the person of each squad she'd asked astir had changed.

DNA TESTING IN NANCY GUTHRIE CASE COULD TAKE MONTHS BUT MAY BE FAST-TRACKED, EXPERT SAYS

Pima County deputies analyse a flyer taped to the mailbox extracurricular Nancy Guthrie's location successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Feb. 23, 2026. Guthrie, the 84-year-old parent of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, is believed to person been abducted from her location successful the aboriginal hours of Feb. 1. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)

More than 220 pages of emails betwixt PCSD officials and the show's producers amusement behind-the-scenes exchanges successful the instauration of a world amusement featuring a sheriff's section that would soon go a household sanction arsenic the Guthrie lawsuit played out. Her whereabouts remained chartless arsenic of Friday.

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Some incidents included use-of-force and different behavioral concerns, including discussions implicit whether to supply bodycam wherever deputies were swearing to the show. In 1 case, authorities appeared acrophobic astir an altercation successful which the progressive lawman didn't commencement signaling until aft the combat with a fishy had ended.

Read the emails:

The emails were shared betwixt members of the PCSD, its nationalist accusation office, and producers from Twenty Twenty Productions, who worked connected the A&E show, "Desert Law." The bid focuses connected instrumentality enforcement successful Pima County's Sonoran Desert.

Pima County Sheriff’s deputies basal extracurricular Nancy Guthrie's location successful the Catalina Foothills of Tucson, Ariz., aft the 84-year-old pistillate went missing connected Feb. 12, 2026. Nancy Guthrie is the parent of writer and tv big Savannah Guthrie. (Rebecca Noble/Reuters)

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While the TV unit went connected a bid of ride-alongs with PCSD patrols, amusement producers were mostly funny successful bodycam and different police-obtained video. They asked for a nationalist accusation serviceman to beryllium disposable to thrust a marked SUV successful bid to make inheritance footage, known arsenic "B-roll." Koumal agreed successful a July 1 email, suggesting a lawman "take our caller Tahoe."

The producers besides requested accusation from an infamous section case, the 1996 execution of Gary Triano.

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Pima County sheriff and FBI agents analyse a grey Range Rover successful a Culver’s parking batch successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Feb. 14, 2026, arsenic portion of the Nancy Guthrie lawsuit investigation. (Ty ONeil/AP)

Triano died successful an detonation successful the Catalina Foothills aft his wife, Pamela Phillips, hired a hitman to works a tube weaponry successful his Lincoln Town Car. It exploded portion helium was driving location from a play course. Friends and household were waiting to astonishment him with a day party.

She was convicted successful 2014 and is serving a beingness situation sentence, arsenic is the bomber, Ron Young, who was arrested aft a 2005 occurrence of "America's Most Wanted."

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Koumal, the skipper overseeing the sheriff's assemblage services part and records management, besides sent retired a enactment encouraging deputies to proactively scope retired to the amusement producers "if immoderate incidents occur."

A subordinate of the Pima County Sheriff's Department stands by his motortruck looking astatine Nancy Guthrie's location successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Feb. 9, 2026. (Ty ONeil/AP)

Producer Tom Olney praised the cooperation, writing, "thank you arsenic ever for each your continued support, its astonishing and perfectly the champion I've ever received from immoderate instrumentality enforcement department!"

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He besides repeatedly voiced concerns astir the hold clip for bodycam records and offered to sermon ways to expedite and prioritize the footage to conscionable amusement deadlines. In immoderate cases, helium asked for his newer requests to beryllium replaced up of older ones, a petition that officials granted astatine slightest once.

Savannah Guthrie smiles with her parent Nancy Guthrie astatine the TODAY workplace connected June 15, 2023. (Nathan Congleton/NBC)

It's unclear from the provided emails whether immoderate of the TV crew's requests took precedence implicit those from the public.

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It would beryllium antithetic for records keepers to let definite requesters to skip the line. Typically, agencies process nationalist records requests connected a first-come, first-served basis.

The emails were sent betwixt July and December 2025, good earlier the abduction of Nancy Guthrie, whose Feb. 1 disappearance from her location successful the Catalina Foothills remains unsolved. PCSD is the pb bureau connected that case.