The individual detained for questioning in connection with the disappearance and abduction of Nancy Guthrie had been on the radar of the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department before Tuesday’s public release of the images of a masked subject at her front door, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
The individual, who identified himself as Carlos, was detained for questioning in Rio Rico, Arizona, south of Tucson, after the FBI identified him by using a series of electronic investigative tools, including cell phone usage information and traffic data, the sources said, without specifying the exact techniques.
Investigators canvasses Annie Guthrie’s neighborhood after the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of U.S. journalist and television host Savannah Guthrie, who went missing from her home in Tucson, Feb. 10, 2026.
Rebecca Noble/Reuters
A local judge from Santa Cruz County, Arizona, signed the warrant for the search of Carlos’ house, which was carried out overnight.
Carlos was questioned for several hours before being released without charge. He is under no law enforcement restrictions.
Separately, investigators are studying every pixel of the new video the FBI released publicly on Tuesday to try to find any identifying feature, including the apparent weapon and characteristics of what the subject was wearing, according to the sources.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky and Trevor Ault
