A Republican congressional candidate in Arizona said Tuesday that he has launched a recall effort to remove Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos from his post over his handling of the investigation into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance. 

Authorities are still searching for the 84-year-old, who was reported missing around noon Feb. 1 after she did not show up for virtual church services. She was last seen the previous night after having dinner at her daughter Annie Guthrie's home in Tucson, Arizona.

Daniel Butierez, who is running against Arizona Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva in November, told the New York Post that he made the decision to begin the lengthy recall process last week after speaking to frustrated Pima County officers.

“This is a bipartisan effort. It’s not like we’re trying to get signatures from one party or the other,” Butierez said. “He has been an embarrassment to Tucson and to Pima County with this Nancy Guthrie case ... Everyone’s pretty disgusted, Democrats and Republicans." 

Butierez claimed that he was told by Pima County officers that they wanted to launch the recall effort themselves but were afraid of repercussions from the sheriff, but the department had a "unanimous vote of no confidence” against Nanos on Friday.

“I decided I’d do it because I’m a congressional candidate, I’m already in the spotlight, and I don’t see Nanos messing with me,” Butierez said. “I’m probably going to go for 135,000 signatures. Right now, we have almost 500 volunteers who want to get signatures, and five notaries to notarize the pages for everyone.”

Butierez must collect approximately 120,000 signatures in the next 120 days in order to trigger the recall, then the Pima County Recorder will have 60 days to verify them against voter registration records. 

If successful, Nanos will be given five days to either agree to a special recall election or step down as sheriff. 

Nanos has not commented on the recall effort, but it comes as residents grow frustrated with the pace of the Guthrie investigation. No suspect has been arrested in the case, though investigators believe that Guthrie was abducted at her home by a masked man who was spotted on security footage. He has been described as "approximately 5’9 - 5’10 tall, with an average build." 

Anyone who has tips or information about the case is encouraged to call 911, the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or the Pima County Sheriff's Department at 520-351-4900.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.