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An individual briefly held for questioning on Tuesday evening in Rio Rico, Arizona, regarding Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, has been released, according to officials.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department reported that deputies stopped a vehicle south of Tucson, near the US-Mexico border, after the FBI unveiled surveillance footage showing a masked figure, seemingly armed with a holster, outside Guthrie’s home on the night she went missing.
Both the department and the FBI carried out a legally sanctioned search at a residence in Rio Rico, a town of approximately 20,000 people, situated about an hour’s drive south of Tucson and 15 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. Officials indicated on Tuesday night that the search would require several hours. By Wednesday morning, the investigative team had vacated the premises, and the area was cleared of police tape.
A man at the property, who identified himself to Fox News as Carlos Palazuelos, stated that he was the individual detained during the traffic stop. He confirmed his release and his return to the residence.
Sheriff’s deputies had previously secured the entrance to a road leading to a home under investigation in Rio Rico, Arizona, on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, as part of the ongoing probe into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Palazuelos told Fox News he works in Tucson delivering packages and said he had nothing to do with Guthrie’s disappearance. He said investigators questioned him about his whereabouts and took his phone before ultimately releasing him.
Palazuelos said it was a “possibility” he may have delivered a package to Guthrie’s residence.
He said law enforcement showed one of his in-laws a photo of a masked person seen in surveillance footage on Guthrie’s property and that it “supposedly looked like my eyes.”
“That’s it. That’s all I know,” Palazuelos said.
The FBI on Tuesday released short surveillance clips showing a masked person wearing a backpack and what appeared to be a handgun holster outside Guthrie’s home the night she disappeared. At one point, the individual appears to tilt their head away from a doorbell camera, hold a flashlight in their mouth and attempt to cover the lens with a gloved hand and what looked like part of a plant pulled from the yard.
This image released by the FBI show an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance in Tuscon, Arizona, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (Provided by FBI)
Investigators have said for more than a week that they believe Guthrie was taken against her will. She was last seen at her home on Jan. 31 and was reported missing the next day. DNA testing determined that blood found on her porch belonged to her, authorities have said.
An FBI billboard in Albuquerque, N.M., raising awareness about the search for missing Nancy Guthrie. (KRQE)
Guthrie, 84, is the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie. Her disappearance on Feb. 1 has drawn national attention. Savannah Guthrie and her two siblings have released multiple video statements pleading for their mother’s return and indicating a willingness to pay a ransom, while asking for proof that she is alive.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said Nancy Guthrie is mentally sound but has limited mobility and takes several medications, raising concerns about her health if she does not have access to them.
The FBI has begun posting digital billboards in several major cities seeking tips, and officials have urged anyone with information to contact investigators.