Late last night, a suspect in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie was detained and questioned by law enforcement. That development came just hours after the FBI released images and Nest camera footage of a masked individual on Guthrie's front porch.
Guthrie has been missing since February 1, when authorities believe she was taken from her home against her will. Ransom notes, some of them fake, have been sent to the family and NBC "Today" host Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have released several videos asking for Nancy's return.
The suspect was identified as a man named Carlos of Rio Rico, AZ, which is just a few miles from the Mexico border.
CNN spoke with his mother-in-law last night, who said they have nothing to hide.
CNN just interviewed a woman who says her house is the one being searched in Rio Rico. She says her son-in-law Carlos is being investigated. She also says the family (including Carlos) has nothing to do with it, and told law enforcement to search their house, they have nothing to…
— Steve Lookner (@lookner) February 11, 2026
She also invited law enforcement to search their house.
BREAKING: Carlos Palazuelos(?) of Rio Rico, AZ has been identified by his mother-in-law as the person in custody regarding the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie pic.twitter.com/iylk5g9cXl
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) February 11, 2026
FBI Director Kash Patel also reportedly said his agency is looking into "multiple persons of interest" in this case.
We can confirm two more Nancy Guthrie developments tonight:
— Briana Whitney (@BrianaWhitney) February 11, 2026
-Sheriff has confirmed detainment happened in Rio Rico, AZ. That’s south of Tucson about 20 mins away from Mexico border
-FBI Dir. Kash Patel has confirmed they’re looking into multiple persons of interest in the case
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Early this morning, Carlos was released from custody after being questioned by law enforcement.
🚨 BREAKING: The man detained by law enforcement in Rio Rico, AZ related to Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping has been RELEASED pic.twitter.com/EHANExpvYL
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 11, 2026
“Carlos” was questioned and released, and said he was detained because his eyes looked like the kidnapper.
He’s also a delivery…
Carlos described the incident as "terrifying."
"Something I didn't do...I felt like I was being kidnapped, bro," Carlos said, "they didn't tell me anything at the beginning."
Carlos said he was taken into custody during a traffic stop.
He works as a delivery driver in Tucson, and told the media he may have delivered to Guthrie's house in the past.
Last night, Harvey Levin joined CNN to report there was activity in the bitcoin account that was given to Guthrie's family for the ransom payment.
Harvey Levin on CNN just said 12 minutes ago they saw activity for the first time in the bitcoin account that was given for the Nancy Guthrie payment.
— ✶Ⓜ️𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕦𝕤 ▶️✶ (@_MarcusD3_) Feb 9, 2026
"So, about 12 minutes ago, we saw activity in that account," Levin said.
When pressed for details, Levin said, "That's what I can't talk about. There are reasons I can't, but all I can say is there is now activity in that bitcoin account."
Erin Burnett asked for more information.
"It would only show, as I understand this, money going in, and the only thing you would see is money, and Erin, that's all I can say."
Burnett called it "crucial information" and confirmed it is the account listed in the first ransom letter TMZ received last week.
The deadline for the ransom passed more than 36 hours ago, and Guthrie has reportedly been without necessary medications for more than a week. We'll continue to bring updates as law enforcement continues working this case.
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