Individual Apprehended as Person of Interest in Nancy Guthrie Abduction Case

A significant development has occurred in the investigation of Nancy Guthrie’s abduction, as authorities have detained a suspect and are preparing to search a property near Tucson.

The arrest was made during a traffic stop south of Tucson on Tuesday night, according to a statement from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. The suspect’s identity remains undisclosed.

“The individual is currently being interrogated in relation to the Nancy Guthrie case,” the department revealed in their announcement.

Reports indicate that the arrest took place in Rio Rico, Arizona, a small town close to the US-Mexico border, as covered by CNN.

This promising lead emerged shortly after federal authorities released alarming footage captured by a doorbell camera at the home of Savannah Guthrie’s mother on the night of her abduction.

It showed an armed figure clad in a ski mask and carrying a backpack, wearing black latex gloves. The suspect can also be seen tampering with the mother-of-three’s Nest doorbell camera and ripping the camera from its holder on the door frame. 

The device was missing by the time sheriff’s deputies arrived that morning.

It remained unclear Tuesday night whether the suspect who was brought in for questioning was the same man who was seen in the surveillance footage, but TMZ reports the person who was detained is not a member of the Guthrie family.

Authorities are now preparing to search a property associated with the detained individual, according to ABC News. 

An unidentified individual has been detained for questioning in connection with Today Show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother’s abduction 

Federal authorities released surveillance footage on Tuesday showing a masked suspect at Nancy’s home the night she went missing

At the same time, local SWAT teams, a bomb squad and the FBI’s elite Hostage Recue Team has been deployed to the city, with a federal source telling Fox News Digital that the specialized tactical team ‘always forward deploys in a situation like this.’

Meanwhile, a Bitcoin account referenced in reported ransom letters sent to various news outlets saw some activity on Tuesday, one day after a deadline for the family to pay $6 million for Nancy’s safe return.

‘I can only tell you that we have seen activity in the account,’ TMZ’s Harvey Levin said Tuesday night, without elaborating.

Local news outlet KGUN later reported that the activity amounts to less than $300.

TMZ is one of three outlets that received alleged ransom notes in connection with Nancy’s abduction.

Unidentified sources involved in the investigation had earlier told the outlet that officers believe the ransom notes that were sent to local news networks and TMZ were, in fact, written by the kidnapper. 

The notes also reportedly provide clues on where the suspect lives, with sources noting that the person who sent the letters was intimately familiar with the media in Tucson, and included specific references to damage at Nancy’s home and the placement of some of her possessions – details that have not been shared with the public.

The 84 year old was reported missing after failing to attend a virtual church service with friends on February 1, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.

She was last seen the night before, attending dinner with her eldest daughter, Annie and son-in-law Tommaso Cioni.

Tommaso then dropped her back off at her house at around 9.48pm and her garage door closed at approximately 9.50pm, according to police.

It remains unclear whether the person who was detained Tuesday night was the same person who was caught on Nancy’s Nest surveillance footage 

The figure raises their fist while wearing latex gloves, with apparent facial hair also visible, moments before the individual apparently removed the camera

Moments before the individual apparently removes the camera outside Nancy’s home

By 1.47am, Nancy’s doorbell camera was disconnected, with the newly released footage showing the suspect ripping the camera from its holder on the door frame.

Another video released by officials showed the masked individual attempting to cover the lens with a clenched fist, then searching the area around the door, ripping a bunch of flowers from the entranceway, and waving them at the camera. 

The suspect also appeared to be hunched over as he made their first approach to the door, bowing his head. 

Annie and Tommaso have previously said they only realized Nancy was missing around 11.10am last Sunday, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office said.

They reported her disappearance to police at 12.15pm. Her phone, wallet, vital daily medications and car were still at her Catalina Foothills home. 

Cioni said he saw his mother-in-law enter her home through the garage before driving off the night before at around 9:45pm MT.

Investigators found drops of blood on Nancy’s front porch that were later confirmed to be hers and that her doorbell camera was disconnected at around 1.45am. 

Less than 30 minutes later, her security camera detected movement. Her pacemaker stopped transmitting data to her Apple Watch and phone shortly afterwards, suggesting she had been taken out of the devices’ range. 

Nancy requires medication every 24 hours and it is unclear if whoever abducted her has ensured she has access to her medication as her three children released several videos pleading for the public’s help to find their mother.

Guthrie and her two siblings, Camron and Annie, in a video they shared online asking for help 

As the investigation into Nancy’s disappearance stretched into a tenth consecutive day without any leads on Tuesday, officers were seen once again going door-to-door around Annie and Tommaso’s home and asking nearby businesses for any surveillance footage they may have captured the night of February 1.

Other agents were seen searching a junkyard, bushes behind Annie and Tommaso’s home as well as another house at the far end of their street. 

Neighbor John Grove even told the Daily Mail that investigators asked to search a dry river bed on his property.

‘The cops wanted to know if they could go through that wash next to my house – I said they could,’ he recounted. ‘I asked if it was related to the kidnapping and they said “We can’t tell you that.”

‘They’re playing their cards close to their chest,’ Grove added.

‘I just hope she didn’t get into any difficulties around here – it’s very harsh terrain,’ he said. ‘We had a guy the other day who just moved here and got lost and died.

‘For someone like her, well, it wouldn’t end well.’