Nancy Guthrie Sheriff Chris Nanos Gets Boost in $1 Million Lawsuit

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who is leading the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, received a boost in a $1.35 million lawsuit filed by an Arizona inmate earlier this month.

In an order filed earlier this month, a judge gave the inmate, Christopher Michael Marx, until April 9 to pay filing and administrative fees, or an application to proceed in forma pauperis (allowing individuals to proceed to court without paying filing fees or court costs, after their income is checked). If that application is approved, it would allow Marx to pay the filing fee "incrementally," the order said. The judge said the court clerk must dismiss the lawsuit if the filing fees are not paid or if the application is not submitted by the deadline.

Newsweek has contacted Nanos for comment via an email to the Pima County Sheriff's Department. An attorney for Marx has been contacted for comment via email. The Context The lawsuit was a blow to Nanos, who has repeatedly come under scrutiny as he continues to head the high-profile search for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, which is now in its eighth week.

Critics have accused Nanos of making several mistakes early in the investigation and he is also facing a recall effort. Authorities believe she was kidnapped, and the FBI in February released surveillance footage showing a masked individual, whom they called a suspect, on her doorstep the night she disappeared. Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her home outside Tucson, Arizona on January 31 and reported missing the next day.

Authorities said drops of blood were found on her front porch and have expressed concern for her health because she needs vital daily medication. What To Know Marx, an inmate in the Pam County Adult Detention Center, filed the lawsuit against Nanos and the sheriff’s department in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona on March 5, according to court documents reviewed by Newsweek.

In an order dated March 10, District Judge Raner C. Collins wrote that Marx "did not pay the $350.00 civil action filing fee and $55.00 administrative fee, or file an Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis." Collins' order directs Marx to either pay the fees or file a "complete Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis and a certified six-month trust account statement" within 30 days of the date of the order. It adds that if the plaintiff does not do either one, the court clerk "must enter a judgement of dismissal of action without prejudice and without further notice to Plaintiff and deny any pending unrelated motions as moot.”

Marx's complaint alleges his life was endangered by a sheriff deputy working between two units at the Pima County Jail, including his.

He wrote in the complaint that one of the units was in quarantine after an inmate had been found to have COVID-19. He alleged the deputy did not disinfect himself before moving from one unit to the other and that Nanos was not making sure his deputies were trying to contain COVID-19 and protect the inmates. "

My life was put in harm's way by the actions of the sheriff" and sheriff's deputies, he wrote.

He added that he could have caught COVID-19 and "died." Marx alleges the sheriff’s department and Nanos broke Article 2 of the Arizona state Constitution, the Declaration of Rights.

He wrote that he is seeking an apology from Nanos and for him to ensure deputies "properly disinfect their bodies when the deputies are working two units at a time and one of these units is quarantined.” He also wrote that he is seeking $1.35 million that he said he would use donate two apartment buildings to "house the homeless, 6 months rent free, no string attached.”

According to data available on the Pima County Justice Court’s website, Marx was found guilty of shoplifting in late 2024. What People Are Saying Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos defended his department's handling of the Nancy Guthrie case in an interview with KVOA on Monday, saying: "

Look, I have no regrets about my team and their efforts. I don't regret we let the crime scene go to soon or any of that, that's just silly." What Happens Next The judge's order gives Marx until April 9 to pay the necessary fees or file an application or proceed in forma pauperis.

Meanwhile, authorities and Nancy Guthrie's family continue to urge anyone with information about the case to come forward. Anyone with information is urged to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), 520-351-4900 or 88-CRIME or visit tips.fbi.gov.