Ariz. Sheriff Investigating Nancy Guthrie’s Kidnapping Faces $1.35 Million Lawsuit: ‘I Could [Have] Died’

Christopher Marx, an inmate at the Pima County Jail, alleges his life was put at risk because proper precautions were not taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during his time in custody

The sheriff overseeing the investigation into the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie is now facing a separate legal challenge. Authorities in Arizona confirmed that a $1.35 million lawsuit has been filed against the sheriff and the department.

According to a complaint reviewed by PEOPLE, Christopher Marx, an inmate at the Pima County Jail, alleges that his life was put at risk by a sheriff because proper precautions were not taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during his time in custody.

The complaint was filed on March 5 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona against Sheriff Chris Nanos and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

Marx claims that a sheriff’s deputy who had been working in a unit where an inmate was quarantined with COVID-19 traveled back and forth between that unit and his own — which was on lockdown —without proper sanitization between visits, per the complaint.

“This deputy also had to serve our dinner meal on his shift,” the complaint states.

Marx alleges that the deputy’s actions “put my life in jeopardy,” according to the complaint.

“I could of [sic] caught COVID-19,” he said in the complaint. “I could of [sic] died.”

The complaint states that Marx is seeking $1.35 million to fund the purchase of two apartment buildings to “house the homeless [for] six months rent free.” He is also requesting an apology from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

On Tuesday, March 10, PEOPLE reached out to the PCSD for comment on the lawsuit, and a spokesperson responded that Sheriff Nanos does not comment on pending litigation.

Nanos has been in the spotlight since Feb. 1, when authorities announced Nancy, the mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, disappeared from her Tucson, Ariz., home.

She was last seen going into her garage at 9:50 p.m. the night before after having dinner with her daughter Annie, who lives nearby.

Her family called 911 at 12:03 p.m. that day after the mother of three failed to join friends to watch a virtual church service.

The PCSD, later joined by the FBI, launched a massive investigation into Nancy’s disappearance, saying they believed she was taken against her will in the middle of the night.

Concern for Nancy deepened when Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos revealed that blood spatter found on the front porch belonged to her.

Even more chilling were Nest camera surveillance photos and video footage authorities released on Feb. 10 showing a masked, armed man on Nancy’s front porch in the early morning hours of Feb. 1.

The FBI Phoenix office shared additional details describing the suspect as “a male, approximately 5’9” – 5’10” tall, with an average build. In the video, he is wearing a black, 25-liter ‘Ozark Trail Hiker Pack’ backpack” that may have been purchased at Walmart.

Guthrie’s doorbell camera, authorities disclosed, was disconnected at 1:47 a.m., local time. Shortly after, at 2:12 a.m., the camera detected a dark figure walking toward the house. Sixteen minutes later, at 2:28 a.m., Guthrie’s pacemaker was disconnected from the pacemaker app on her cellphone, authorities said.

Law enforcement worked tirelessly to try to find Nancy, to no avail.

In late February, however, a couple who live on a back road about 2.5 miles from Nancy’s home released new footage, obtained by FOX News, showing a car speeding down the road minutes after police believe she was abducted.

One of the videos the couple released was recorded at around 2:36 a.m. on Feb. 1, about eight minutes after Nancy’s pacemaker last synced with her iPhone, according to the sheriff’s timeline.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office told FOX News and NBC News they are aware of the newly released Ring camera footage, but didn’t say whether the footage will help the case.

Since their mother went missing, Savannah and her siblings have been awaiting any word about what happened to her.

On Feb. 24, Savannah released an emotional new video saying the Guthrie family is offering up to a $1 million reward for any information leading to Nancy’s recovery. The family is also donating $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The FBI’s $100,000 reward for information remains active.

Anyone with information about Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is asked to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.