LAST UPDATE | 11 Feb

ARIZONA POLICE HAVE released a man they detained for questioning in connection with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC’s Today Show host Savannah Guthrie. 

The man, who spoke to press after he was released, said that his name was Carlos, and that he hopes that police “get the suspect, because I’m not it”. 

He also said that he feels he now has to “clear” his name following his detainment. 

Carlos (36) said his wrists were swollen from being in handcuffs. 

He said that he was driving in his car in Rio Rico, Arizona, when police stopped him, asked his name, and detained him.

This is Carlos who says he was pulled over by police and was accused of kidnapping #NancyGuthrie.

They have released him.

We just spoke with him outside his house in Rio Rico Arizona

⁦@CBSNews⁩ pic.twitter.com/BmsR2q5jBl

— Andres Gutierrez (@AFGutierrez) February 11, 2026

He spoke to press briefly on the doorstep of his home, where he lives with his wife and mother-in-law, at 1 am,  after law enforcement had searched the property.

“They better do their job and find the suspect that did it so that they can clear my name,” he said. 

The episode will be a blow to investigators after what appeared to be a breakthrough in the case yesterday.

Footage of a masked individual was released by the FBI, captured by Nancy’s security cameras outside her home in Tucson, Arizona, on the morning she went missing. 

New video in the search for Nancy Guthrie: Over the last eight days, the FBI and the 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,… pic.twitter.com/XCEvkA5eJ6

— FBI Phoenix (@FBIPhoenix) February 10, 2026

That person appeared to be tampering with Nancy’s security cameras. 

Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have said that their mother’s health and heart are “fragile”, that she lives in “pain” and that she needs medication regularly to “survive”. 

FBI Director Nash Patel has said that the agency’s priority is to find Nancy. 

“Right behind that is to find anyone and any others involved in this kidnapping case to make sure they’re brought to justice”, he added. 

Patel said that agents are working “through the night” on the case. 

Nancy was kidnapped ten days ago and subsequently reported missing from her home in the Catalina Foothills of Arizona. 

The case has confounded authorities and has been a main news item in Canada and the US for more than a week. 

Notes claiming to be from the kidnappers, including one demanding millions of dollars in Bitcoin, have been analysed by authorities.