A man briefly detained in connection with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie is speaking out after being released without charges, as the high-profile investigation enters its second week.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed late Tuesday that deputies detained a “subject” during a traffic stop south of Tucson and questioned him in connection with the case. By early Wednesday morning, the man had been released.
Carlos Palazuelos told Fox News that he was the individual stopped and questioned by authorities but insisted he has no connection to Guthrie’s disappearance.
🚨 NEW: The man detained and now RELEASED in the Nancy Guthrie investigation speaks out:
He says he had ZERO idea what was going on.
“I’m just a delivery driver in Tucson. That’s it.”
pic.twitter.com/TBKNTldLpi— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) February 11, 2026
Palazuelos said he works making deliveries in the Tucson area and was asked about his recent movements. According to him, investigators showed his in-law an image of a masked person captured on surveillance footage and suggested “they supposedly looked like my eyes.”
Authorities have not officially named any suspect or person of interest in the case. Law enforcement sources previously indicated the detained individual had no known relationship to the Guthrie family.
The detention came hours after the FBI released newly recovered doorbell camera footage from Guthrie’s Tucson home. Federal investigators said the images were pulled from residual backend data after the original recording device had been disabled.
The footage shows a masked individual wearing gloves and carrying a backpack approaching the front door around the time Guthrie vanished on Feb. 1. The person appears to tamper with the camera. Authorities have also stated the individual appeared to be armed.
In a statement earlier this week, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that the subject detained in the traffic stop was being questioned in connection with the Nancy Guthrie investigation. It has not said whether that individual matches the person seen in the surveillance images.
Following the traffic stop, investigators executed a court-authorized search at a property in Rio Rico, Arizona, roughly 60 miles south of Tucson near the U.S.-Mexico border. The FBI’s Evidence Response Team assisted local deputies in processing the location.
The sheriff’s department said the search concluded early Wednesday. Officials have not disclosed what, if anything, was recovered.
Earlier Tuesday, SWAT vehicles and other specialized units were seen staging for what authorities described as an operation led by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. Law enforcement activity intensified in areas tied to the investigation, including near the home of Annie Guthrie, Nancy’s daughter. Agents were seen canvassing neighborhoods, knocking on doors and requesting access to private security footage.
Investigators have also searched surrounding brush, drainage areas and outbuildings as they attempt to piece together what happened the night Guthrie disappeared.
Meanwhile, questions continue to swirl around alleged ransom notes sent to media outlets demanding payment in Bitcoin. Reports indicated a small amount of activity appeared in a Bitcoin account referenced in one of the notes, though officials have not confirmed whether the account is directly linked to the disappearance.
The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s return. As of Wednesday, no arrests have been made and no formal charges have been filed in connection with her disappearance.
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