After a court-authorized search and a traffic stop in Rio Rico, Arizona, investigators in the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie have released the man they detained, leaving the identity of a masked visitor to her doorstep and her whereabouts still unresolved.
TLDR
Pima County deputies briefly detained a delivery driver and searched a Rio Rico home in the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, then released him without charges as DNA findings, surveillance footage, and alleged ransom demands keep investigators focused on finding her alive.
Traffic Stop Yields Questions, Not Charges
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said deputies stopped a vehicle during a traffic stop in Rio Rico, south of Tucson near the US-Mexico border, in connection with Guthrie’s disappearance. The stop came hours after the FBI released surveillance images of a masked person outside Guthrie’s front door on the night she vanished.
According to Fox News, deputies and FBI agents then carried out a court-authorized search at a home in Rio Rico, a community of roughly 20,000 residents about an hour’s drive south of Tucson and about 15 miles north of the US-Mexico border. Investigators remained at the property for hours. By the following morning, law enforcement had left, police tape was removed, and the scene was cleared, signaling that, at least publicly, the search had not yet produced an arrest.
A man at the home identified himself to the outlet as Carlos Palazuelos and said he was the person pulled over during the traffic stop. He said investigators questioned him, took his phone, and later released him, allowing him to return to the residence.
Authorities have not announced any charges connected to the stop in Rio Rico, and they have not publicly named a suspect in Guthrie’s disappearance. The detention illustrates how investigators are pursuing leads generated by surveillance footage and public tips, even as those leads sometimes end without an immediate criminal case.
Surveillance Footage and a Disputed Resemblance
The FBI released short surveillance clips showing a masked person outside Guthrie’s home on the night she disappeared. In the footage, the individual appears to be wearing a backpack and what looks like a handgun holster. At one point, the person tilts their head away from a doorbell camera, holds a flashlight in their mouth, and appears to try to cover the lens with a gloved hand and what seems to be a piece of plant pulled from the yard.
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 January 31st and reported missing on February 1st. DNA testing determined that the blood found on her porch belonged to her, an indication that some form of violence or injury occurred at or near her front door, even though investigators have not publicly detailed how they believe she was taken from the property.
Palazuelos told the network he works in Tucson delivering packages and said he had nothing to do with Guthrie’s disappearance. He said investigators questioned him about where he had been and seized his phone for examination before letting him go. He acknowledged that it was a possibility he had delivered a package to Guthrie’s home in the past, but said he did not know her.
Palazuelos also said that law enforcement showed one of his in-laws a photograph of the masked person from the surveillance footage. According to his account, the relative told officers the image “supposedly looked like my eyes.” Palazuelos, however, insisted that the connection stopped there. “That’s it. That’s all I know,” he said.
There is no public indication that investigators have linked the Rio Rico traffic stop to any physical evidence from Guthrie’s home or to the DNA findings on her porch. With Palazuelos released and not charged, the masked figure in the video remains an unidentified person of clear interest but not yet a named suspect.
Timeline, Alleged Ransom, and Health Concerns
Guthrie is 84 years old and, according to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, is mentally sound but has limited mobility and depends on multiple medications. That combination has heightened concern about how long she can remain unharmed if she is being held and does not have access to her prescriptions.
Her disappearance has drawn national attention in part because she is the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie. According to reporting by Fox News, Savannah Guthrie and her two siblings have released video statements pleading for their mother’s return. In those messages, they have indicated a willingness to pay a ransom and have asked for proof that she is alive, reflecting what the outlet has described as alleged ransom communications related to the case.
What you don’t see… The network lineup outside of Nancy Guthrie’s home as the investigation into her disappearance is now in the 10th day. We are all working to get new information and wishing the best for Savannah & her family. pic.twitter.com/hU9bXumwXM
— SweetMarie (@Oceanbreeze473) February 11, 2026
Law enforcement has not publicly confirmed the contents of any ransom demands or communications, nor have they disclosed whether they believe such contacts are credible. The family’s statements, however, underscore that they are treating at least some of the messages as serious and potentially tied to their mother’s disappearance.
Those circumstances place investigators in a familiar but fraught position. They must evaluate potential ransom demands and outside communications while also protecting evidence for any eventual criminal case involving kidnapping, extortion, or homicide, without revealing details that could compromise the investigation or assist whoever is responsible.
Investigative Focus Returns to Unanswered Questions
As the Rio Rico traffic stop recedes and the man who was questioned returns home without charges, investigators are again leaning on surveillance, forensic work, and public outreach. The FBI has begun posting digital billboards in several major cities seeking tips, and officials have publicly urged anyone with information about Guthrie or the masked visitor to her home to contact investigators.
Sheriff Nanos has emphasized Guthrie’s age, mobility limits, and medical needs, signaling that the case is being treated as an emergency even in the absence of confirmed sightings since she was reported missing. Yet more than a week after she was last seen, authorities have not announced any arrests, and they have not detailed how many potential suspects or persons of interest they are examining.
The release of Palazuelos illustrates both the reach and the limits of the current investigation. Surveillance images and public tips can generate rapid police action, including searches and detentions, but they do not always translate into charges or a clear narrative about what happened. For now, the only firmly established physical evidence remains the blood on Guthrie’s porch, the videos of the masked figure, and the fact that she is gone.
With no confirmed suspect, unresolved ransom allegations, and a critical witness missing, the case continues to hinge on whether someone will provide the piece of information that connects these threads. As digital billboards and national coverage keep Guthrie’s name in public view, the central questions remain unsettled. Who came to Nancy Guthrie’s door that night, and where is she now?
