Person questioned in Nancy Guthrie disappearance released after Arizona stop

A idiosyncratic who was concisely detained for questioning Tuesday evening successful Rio Rico, Arizona, successful transportation with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie has been released, authorities said.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said deputies detained an idiosyncratic during a postulation halt southbound of Tucson, adjacent the US-Mexico border, hours aft the FBI released surveillance images of a masked idiosyncratic wearing what appeared to beryllium a handgun holster extracurricular Guthrie’s beforehand doorway the nighttime she vanished.

The section and the FBI besides conducted a court-authorized hunt astatine a location successful Rio Rico, a assemblage of astir 20,000 residents astir an hr southbound of Tucson and astir 15 miles northbound of the U.S.-Mexico border. Authorities said Tuesday nighttime the hunt was expected to instrumentality respective hours. By Wednesday morning, investigators had near the residence, the country was cleared, and constabulary portion had been removed.

A antheral astatine the location identified himself to Fox News arsenic Carlos Palazuelos. He said helium was the idiosyncratic pulled implicit during the postulation halt and detained for questioning but has since been released and is backmost astatine the house.

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Sheriff's officials artifact the entranceway to a roadworthy wherever a location was being searched successful Rio Rico, Arizona, connected Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, successful transportation to the probe of Nancy Guthrie's disappearance. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Palazuelos told Fox News helium works successful Tucson delivering packages and said helium had thing to bash with Guthrie’s disappearance. He said investigators questioned him astir his whereabouts and took his telephone earlier yet releasing him.

Palazuelos said it was a "possibility" helium whitethorn person delivered a bundle to Guthrie’s residence.

He said instrumentality enforcement showed 1 of his in-laws a photograph of a masked idiosyncratic seen successful surveillance footage connected Guthrie’s spot and that it "supposedly looked similar my eyes."

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"That’s it. That’s each I know," Palazuelos said.

The FBI connected Tuesday released abbreviated surveillance clips showing a masked idiosyncratic wearing a backpack and what appeared to beryllium a handgun holster extracurricular Guthrie’s location the nighttime she disappeared. At 1 point, the idiosyncratic appears to tilt their caput distant from a doorbell camera, clasp a flashlight successful their rima and effort to screen the lens with a gloved manus and what looked similar portion of a works pulled from the yard.

This representation released by the FBI amusement an equipped idiosyncratic appearing to person tampered with the camera astatine Nancy Guthrie's beforehand doorway the greeting of her disappearance successful Tuscon, Arizona, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (Provided by FBI)

Investigators person said for much than a week that they judge Guthrie was taken against her will. She was past seen astatine her location connected Jan. 31 and was reported missing the adjacent day. DNA investigating determined that humor recovered connected her structure belonged to her, authorities person said.

An FBI billboard successful Albuquerque, N.M., raising consciousness astir the hunt for missing Nancy Guthrie.  (KRQE)

Guthrie, 84, is the parent of "Today" amusement big Savannah Guthrie. Her disappearance connected Feb. 1 has drawn nationalist attention. Savannah Guthrie and her 2 siblings person released aggregate video statements pleading for their mother’s instrumentality and indicating a willingness to wage a ransom, portion asking for impervious that she is alive.

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Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said Nancy Guthrie is mentally dependable but has constricted mobility and takes respective medications, raising concerns astir her wellness if she does not person entree to them.

The FBI has begun posting integer billboards successful respective large cities seeking tips, and officials person urged anyone with accusation to interaction investigators.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.