SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Ariz. — Santa Cruz County authorities and the FBI are investigating how millions of dollars disappeared from county bank accounts that fund several school and fire districts.

Sonoita-Elgin Fire Chief Mark Meredith said school and fire department leaders learned about the missing $4.1 million during a meeting Monday.

“The idea that money that was meant to go to public services may have somehow been sent somewhere else for someone's personal gain is extremely disturbing,” Meredith said.

The accounts surveyed were: Santa Cruz County Treasurer's OfficeFormer Treasurer Elizabeth Gutfer resigned on April 12, citing health and personal reasons.

The Patagonia Regional Times reported that Chase Bank had warned county officials about several suspicious transactions days before Gutfer's resignation. The FBI She returned home on April 16 but has not been charged or arrested.

At Monday's meeting, the fire chief and school superintendents were asked to audit their own financial records going back to when Gutfer was first elected more than a decade ago.

“We will certainly do our due diligence and double check to see if there are any discrepancies between what we were supposed to receive and what we actually received,” Meredith said.

The fire chief said he was surprised the bank found the allegedly misappropriated funds before other employees of the Santa Cruz County Treasury Department. Meredith said the fire department has a strong system of checks and balances, but that a procedure requires two signatures.

Despite the seven-figure loss, Meredith said he doesn't expect any disruptions to fire or medical services.

“It's just frustrating to think that there may have been additional funds that we could have utilized to serve the community,” Meredith said.

At 12News we listen, we find and we solve for all Arizonans. 12News is Phoenix's NBC affiliate and is owned by TEGNA Inc.

12News is built on a tradition of trust. We serve more than 4.6 million people each month on air and through the 12News app.Facebook,Instagram,Youtube,twitterand 12News.com.

We live here too, so we are committed to serving all communities in the Valley region.

12News is the official home of the Arizona Cardinals and was the 2018 Rocky Mountain Emmy Award winner for Overall Excellence.

Download the 12News app, available on Google Play and the Apple Store, to watch the show. Catch up on stories you missed with the 12News app.12News Youtube ChannelRead curated content for our Spanish-speaking readers on our Español page or watch on the 12News Plus app available on Roku or Amazon Fire.

Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12News YouTube channel: Subscribe now.