Rio Rico, Ariz. — A man was taken into custody Tuesday for questioning in the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, hours after the FBI released surveillance video of a masked man outside Guthrie’s front door the night she disappeared from her Arizona home.
Investigators are searching for a location in the Arizona disappearance of Nancy GuthrieDeputies arrested the man during a traffic stop south of Tucson, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. It did not immediately provide details on the person or location. The FBI referred questions to the sheriff’s office.
A Phoenix, Arizona, television station, KNVX-TV, interviewed a delivery man who said he was detained by police on suspicion of kidnapping Guthrie. He says he is innocent and the police release him after a few hours. Local and federal authorities have not confirmed that the man they detained has been released.
The department and the FBI were conducting a court-authorized search Tuesday night at a location in Rio Rico, about an hour south of Tucson, the department said in a statement. It was expected to take several hours.
Guthrie went missing on February 1 and the case has been ongoing ever since gripped the nation. As of Tuesday, authorities appeared to be making little progress in determining what happened to the “Today” show host’s 84-year-old mother Savannah Guthrie or find out who is responsible.
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Savannah Guthrie and her two siblings released a series of video statements pleading for their mother’s return and indicating a willingness to pay a ransom. Authorities described Nancy Guthrie as mentally healthy but with limited mobility. He takes several medications and there were concerns from the start that he might die without them, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said repeatedly.
The community of Rio Rico — population 20,000 — is about an hour’s drive from Guthrie’s home and about 15 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Videos released earlier Tuesday showed a man wearing a ski mask and a backpack. At one point, they head down and tilt away from a doorbell camera as they approach Guthrie’s front door. The footage also shows the man holding a flashlight to their face and trying to cover the camera with a gloved hand and a tree part torn from the yard.
The videos — less than a minute long — gave investigators and the public their first glimpse of who was outside Guthrie’s home in the foothills outside Tucson. But the picture didn’t show what happened to him Or help determine if he is still alive.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the “armed person” appeared to have “tampered with the camera”. It was not entirely clear if there was a gun in the holster.
The videos were pulled from data in “back-end systems” after investigators spent days trying to find lost, corrupted or inaccessible images, Patel said.
“It would ring off the phone for a lot of potential leads,” said former FBI agent Kathryn Schwet. “Even when you have a person who appears to be completely covered, they really aren’t. You can see their girth, the shape of their face, potentially their eyes or face.”
On Tuesday afternoon, authorities returned to Guthrie’s neighborhood using vehicles to block his driveway. A few miles away, in the area where daughter Annie Guthrie lives, law enforcement went door-to-door talking to neighbors as well as walking through a drainage area and examining the inside of a culvert with a flashlight.
Investigators have said for more than a week that they believe Nancy Guthrie was the victim taken against his will. She was last seen at home on January 31 and was reported missing the following day. DNA tests showed the blood on her porch was hers, authorities said.
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Until now, authorities have released few details, leaving it unclear whether the ransom notes demanding money with deadlines that have already passed are genuine and whether the Guthrie family had any contact with the person who took Guthrie.
Savannah Guthrie posted new surveillance photos on social media Tuesday, saying the family believes their mother is still alive and offering phone numbers for the FBI and county sheriff. Within minutes, the post received thousands of comments.
Investigators hoped the cameras would immediately produce evidence about how Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her home in a secluded neighborhood.
But the doorbell camera was disconnected early on February 1. While the software recorded movement at the home minutes later, Guthrie did not have an active membership, so Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos initially said no footage could be recovered. Officers continue to work to obtain the footage .
Heartbreaking message By Savannah Guthrie and her family shift from hope to darkness as they plead for whoever took Nancy Guthrie. In a video just before the alleged ransom deadline on Monday, Savannah Guthrie appeared alone and spoke directly to the public.
“We are in an hour of despair,” he said. “We need your help.”
Much of the country is following the case closely Long time anchor NBC morning show.
White House press secretary Carolyn Levitt said President Donald Trump had seen the new surveillance footage and was “purely outraged,” encouraging anyone with information to call the FBI.
The FBI this week began posting digital billboards about the case in major cities from Texas to California.
Connor Hagan, an FBI spokesman, said Monday that the agency Ongoing communications were not aware between Guthrie’s family and the suspected kidnappers. Authorities also have not identified any suspects, he said.
Three days after the search began, Savannah Guthrie and her two siblings sent them First Public Appeal Someone who takes their mother and says, “We want to hear from you and we’re ready to listen.”
In the recorded video, Guthrie said her family was aware of media reports about a ransom letter, but they first wanted proof that their mother was alive.
“Please contact us,” they said.
The next day, Savannah Guthrie’s brother Made an application againsaid, “Whoever is holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly.”
Then family last weekend Posted another video — one that was more mysterious and derivative Even more speculation About the fate of Nancy Guthrie.
“We got your message, and we understand. We’re asking you now to return our mother so we can celebrate with her,” said Savannah Guthrie, flanked by her siblings. “It’s the only way we’ll have peace. It’s too precious to us, and we’ll pay.”
Golden reported from Seattle and Sewer from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press reporters Darlene Superville in Washington, Ed White in Detroit and Mike Balsamo, Eric Tucker and Alana Durkin Richer in Washington contributed to this report.
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