Authorities briefly detained a person on Tuesday for questioning over the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, 10 days after the 84-year-old vanished from her home in Tucson, Arizona, only to then release him in the early hours of Wednesday.
The man identified himself to reporters as Carlos Palazuelos and said he works as a delivery driver, according to Telemundo.
He told ABC15: “They didn’t even tell me what’s going on until the detectives got here… They told me I was being detained for kidnapping, and I asked them, ‘Kidnapping of who?’”
As the search continues, FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Tuesday evening: “We are looking at people who, as we say, are persons of interest.”
The development came shortly after new surveillance photos and video were released showing a masked person outside Guthrie’s Arizona home the morning she was abducted. Authorities have not held a press conference since releasing these images, and no briefing is scheduled for Wednesday.
The FBI also said Wednesday its agents are “conducting an extensive search along multiple roadways” in the Catalina Foothills area, where Guthrie lives.
Here’s what we know:
Who was the person detained for questioning?
Palazuelos, 36, told reporters he hadn’t heard of Guthrie before Tuesday night and hopes she’s found safe, according to The New York Times.
“I hope they get the suspect, because I’m not it,” he said.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday police “detained” a subject for questioning during a traffic stop and later searched a property in Rio Rico, a town south of Tucson, Arizona, near the U.S.-Mexico border. The agency has since confirmed he was released without charges but provided few other details.
“This detention was part of follow-up on incoming leads. As with any investigation, we do not release the identities of individuals who are detained and later released without charges,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement Wednesday.
What do authorities think has happened?
Police believe Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, was taken from her home in Catalina Foothills, a quiet neighborhood near Tucson, at some point between the night of January 31 and the morning of February 1.
Investigators released footage of an “armed” and masked man at Guthrie’s front door the morning she disappeared.
One video shows the individual approaching the front door and interacting with the camera with his gloved hand. The individual then walks away and appears to pick up an object off the ground nearby. A second shows the individual using what appears to be a plant to obstruct the camera.
Another four-second video also shows the individual approaching the front door with his shoulders hunched and his head down.
“Working with our partners, as of this morning, law enforcement has uncovered these previously inaccessible new images showing an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
“The video was recovered from residual data located in backend systems,” the agency said.
The release also included several black-and-white photos showing the masked individual with gloved hands interacting with the camera.
President Donald Trump, who has been following the investigation, reacted with “pure disgust” when he viewed the surveillance footage, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
“His initial reaction, of course, as all Americans, is just pure disgust. And again, it’s heartbreaking to see now this footage really bring to life a story we’ve all been reading about,” Leavitt told reporters at a press briefing Tuesday.
“Again, we’re just praying for the safety of Nancy Guthrie and that she will return home soon, and the president directed me to please encourage all Americans with any information to call the FBI. We hope that this case will come to a positive resolution as soon as possible,” she added.
Guthrie was last seen just after 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 31, at her home near Skyline Drive and Campbell Avenue, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said. The agency has released a detailed timeline of the events leading up to her disappearance.
She took an Uber at 5:32 p.m. on Saturday, January 31, to go to a family member’s house for dinner.
“We did speak to a driver, because Nancy, we learned, had taken the Uber to the family residence, the daughter’s for dinner,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said. “And we located that driver and spoke with them.”
Family dropped Guthrie off at home at 9:48 p.m., and her garage door opened before closing two minutes later.
Her doorbell camera was disconnected at 1:47 a.m. on Sunday, February 1. Guthrie did not have an active subscription, so it took investigators several days to recover the footage.
Software data recorded movement at the home at 2:12 a.m. Then, at 2:28 a.m., Guthrie’s pacemaker disconnected from her phone.
Family members went to check on Guthrie at 11:56 a.m., after hearing she didn’t attend church that morning. A 911 call was made at 12:03 p.m., and deputies arrived about 10 minutes later.
Her disappearance has sparked a massive search involving state and federal law enforcement agencies. Guthrie relies on daily medication, and there could be “fatal” consequences if she doesn’t take it, Nanos said.
Police also flagged her health issues when she initially vanished, according to a 911 dispatch audio. “Nancy has high blood pressure, a pacemaker and cardiac issues,” the dispatcher said.
DNA tests showed blood on Guthrie’s front porch was hers, Nanos said.
The FBI has also said it’s investigating alleged ransom notes received by multiple news outlets. Investigators said one note contained two deadlines that have since passed: Thursday, February 5 and Monday, February 9.
Local CNN affiliate KGUN, one of the outlets that reportedly received a note, said it demanded $6 million by Monday, a deadline that passed with no update. Meanwhile, the FBI has told the Associated Press it’s not aware of ongoing communication between the Guthrie family and any potential kidnappers.
The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information.
Theories have swirled as investigators continue the search for Guthrie.
Josh Schirard, a former SWAT commander and police captain, told CNN the “universal nylon style holster” seen on the masked individual at Guthrie’s front door likely wouldn’t be used by someone who regularly carries a gun.
“This seems more like a very cheap, off-the-shelf holster that somebody just stores their gun in. And it just happens to have a belt loop on the back of it that they thought that they could throw on,” Schirard told the outlet.
What has the Guthrie family said about the disappearance?
Nancy Guthrie’s daughter, 54-year-old Savannah Guthrie, is a co-host on NBC’s “Today” show and was previously a White House correspondent.
On Tuesday, Savannah Guthrie shared the new surveillance footage on Instagram. “We believe she is still alive. Bring her home,” she wrote.
A day prior, she posted a video asking for the public’s help in finding her mother as an alleged ransom deadline passed.
Guthrie shared her first public statement about her mother’s disappearance on Monday, February 2.
“Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant,” she wrote. “Raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment.”
In a video posted Wednesday, February 4, Guthrie and her siblings – Annie Guthrie and Camron Guthrie – acknowledged the reports of a ransom note and made a direct plea for proof their mother is alive. They said they were “ready to talk” and asked whoever has their mother to provide evidence of life.
“We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us,” Savannah Guthrie said while fighting off tears.
With her voice cracking, she addressed her mother directly, saying the family was praying for her and that people were looking for her.
“Mamma, if you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you,” Annie Guthrie added.
Camron Guthrie posted his own video on Thursday, February 5, asking the suspected kidnappers to contact the family.
“Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly,” he said in the video. “We need you to reach out and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward. But first, we have to know that you have our mom. We want to talk to you and we are waiting for contact.”
On Saturday, the siblings posted another message acknowledging that contact had been made with a suspected kidnapper. In the video, Savannah Guthrie said her family has “received your message” and “will pay” for their mother’s safe return.
“We beg you now to return our mother to us, so that we can celebrate with her,” she said.
Guthrie has been absent from the “Today” show and did not travel to Milan, Italy, to host the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Many of Guthrie’s colleagues have since offered their support as the search continues for her mother.
An NBC Sports spokesperson told The Independent: “Savannah will not be joining us at the Olympics as she focuses on being with her family during this difficult time. Our hearts are with her and the entire Guthrie family as the search continues for their mother.”
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said anyone with information should contact 1-800-CALL-FBI, 520-351-4900, 88-CRIME or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Source: independent.co.uk