Person ‘detained’ for questioning in connection with abduction of Nancy Guthrie: reports

A person has been detained for questioning over the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, according to police sources.

The individual was detained by officers from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from the FBI, sources briefed on the investigation told multiple outlets Tuesday, as searches for the 84-year-old approached the two-week mark.

Authorities are now preparing to search a location south of Tucson, Arizona, which is associated with the individual, the sources said, but added that the person had not been charged.

The Independent has attempted to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s department and the FBI in Arizona for confirmation of the developments and further information.

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the news to Fox News Tuesday evening, telling the outlet: “We are looking at people who, as we say, are persons of interest.”

open image in gallery

Patel added that “there might be persons of interest in and around the area related to this event,” and reiterated that the FBI’s first priority was finding Guthrie. “Right behind that is to find anyone and any others involved in this kidnapping case to make sure they’re brought to justice,” he said.

It comes shortly following the release of images and video showing an “armed,” masked man on the Nancy Guthrie’s doorstep on the night she was abducted, marking a significant update in the case.

However, ABC reported it was not known if the person detained Tuesday was the same individual seen in the video footage.

Police believe Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, was taken from her home in a quiet neighborhood near Tucson at some point between the night of January 31 and the morning of February 1.

The black and white images released by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, 10 days after Guthrie was last seen, show a masked individual who appeared to have tampered with Guthrie’s doorbell camera.

Police said it has been working to recover “lost, corrupted or inaccessible” footage related to Guthrie’s disappearance.

open image in gallery

“Over the last eight days, the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department have been working closely with our private sector partners to continue to recover any images or video footage from Nancy Guthrie’s home that may have been lost, corrupted, or inaccessible due to a variety of factors - including the removal of recording devices,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement posted to X.

“The video was recovered from residual data located in backend systems.”

The footage and phots were also shared online by Patel, with the Bureau offering a $50,000 reward for information to assist the investigation.

Savannah Guthrie and her family have released several video messages online in which they have urged their mother’s captors to get in touch and provide proof she is still alive. The 84-year-old is considered a “vulnerable adult” and has health issues.

“We believe she is still alive. Bring her home,” Guthrie wrote Tuesday, sharing the footage of the individual. The new photos were released a day after she posted a video on Instagram on Monday, begging for the public’s help in finding her mother as an alleged ransom deadline passed.

open image in gallery

In the video, she said her family believed her mother was “still out there” and asked for the public's help in finding her, saying that they were “at an hour of desperation, and we need your help.”

Guthrie’s family reported her missing around noon on February 1 after she did not show up for church. Her disappearance set off a massive search involving state and federal law enforcement agencies.

DNA tests showed blood on Guthrie’s front porch was a match to her, and her doorbell camera was disconnected in the early hours of Sunday morning, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said.

In addition, multiple news outlets received alleged ransom letters during the past week. Local CNN affiliate KGUN reports it received a ransom note demanding $6 million by Monday, a deadline that passed with no update. Meanwhile, the FBI has said it’s not aware of communication between the Guthrie family and the suspected abductors.