Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos revealed he suffered a personal tragedy amid the search for Savannah Guthrie's missing mom, Nancy Guthrie. Nanos told the Daily Mail on Sunday, February 15, that his brother died in hospice one day after Nancy, 84, was reported missing in Tucson, Arizona, on February 1. Amid his own period of grief, Nanos acknowledged the criticism he has faced from the public about how he's been handling the investigation. "People out there can get pretty ugly and mean and nasty and not have the facts," he told the outlet. "I tell my journalists, you guys need to be a little more responsible ... because that's just really nasty stuff." Nanos did not provide further details about his brother's death, however, he did praise the Guthrie family for their cooperation as the investigation continues. Was Savannah Guthrie's Mom's Disappearance Targeted? Sheriff Weighs In "Everything we've asked for, they've given us," he said. "They're in such a state of grief. But they're also, you know, I think they're a little weary too, of what's been going on and being said about them." Nancy was last seen on January 31 after she was dropped off at home following dinner with daughter Annie Guthrie and her husband, Tommaso Cioni. When Nancy didn't show up to watch virtual church service with her friends the following day, those close to her grew worried. Since she was reported missing on February 1, law enforcement has been working tirelessly with the Guthrie family in the hopes of bringing Nancy home, uncovering new evidence and security videos of the potential kidnapper in the process. TMZ has since received four ransom notes from someone demanding Bitcoin amounts in exchange for information on Nancy's whereabouts. The outlet reported the latest note, sent on Monday, February 16, said, "I know what I saw 5 days ago south of the border and I was told to shut up so I know who he is and that was definitely Nancy with them." Pima County Sheriff Details Clues That Nancy Guthrie Is in 'Danger' Harvey Levin, TMZ founder, revealed in a video shared on the site that he "already talked to the FBI" about the fourth note. "If you are not real, you're committing a crime and you should know that, and this is a serious federal crime," Levin, 75, said in a message directed toward the person who wrote the note. Savannah, 54, has made several pleas via Instagram to the suspected kidnapper in the attempt to get her mom returned home safely. "I wanted to come on. It's been two weeks since our mom was taken, and I just wanted to come on and say that we still have hope. We still believe, and I wanted to say to whoever has her, or knows where she is, that it's never too late and you're not lost or alone," the Today show host said in a video shared via Instagram on Sunday. "It is never too late to do the right thing and we are here. We believe. We believe in the essential goodness [of] every human being, and it's never too late."