Rio Rico, Arizona – A person was detained for questioning Tuesday in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case, hours after the FBI released surveillance videos of a masked person wearing a gun holster outside Guthrie’s front door on the night she disappeared from her Arizona home.
Deputies arrested the person during a traffic stop south of Tucson, according to the Pima County Police Department.
The department and the FBI conducted a court-authorized search Tuesday night at a location in Rio Rico, about an hour’s drive south of Tucson, the department said in a statement. It was expected to take several hours.
The administration did not immediately provide details about the person or location. The FBI referred questions to the Sheriff’s Office.
Guthrie disappeared on February 1, and the case has continued since then It swept the nation. As of Tuesday, authorities appeared to have made little progress in determining what happened to the 84-year-old “Today” show host. Savannah Guthrie Or find the administrator.
Savannah Guthrie and her two brothers released a series of video statements demanding the return of their mother and indicating their willingness to pay a ransom. Authorities described Nancy Guthrie as mentally sound but with limited mobility. She is on multiple medications and there was concern from the beginning that she might die without them, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has repeatedly said.
The Rio Rico community — population 20,000 — is about an hour’s drive from Guthrie’s home and about 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Videos posted earlier Tuesday show a person wearing a ski mask and a backpack. At one point, they tilt their heads down and away from the doorbell camera as they approach Guthrie’s front door. The footage also shows the person holding a flashlight in his mouth and trying to cover the camera with his gloved hand and part of a plant torn from the yard.
The videos — less than a minute long — gave investigators and the public their first glimpse of who was outside Guthrie’s home in the foothills outside Tucson. But the pictures did not appear What happened to her? Or help determine if she is still alive.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the “armed individual” appeared to “tamper with the camera.” It was not entirely clear whether there was a gun in the holster.
Patel said the videos were pulled from data on “back-end systems” after investigators spent days trying to find missing, damaged or inaccessible images.
“This is going to set the phone off the hook for a lot of potential leads,” said former FBI agent Katherine Schuette. “Even when you have someone who looks completely covered, they’re actually not. You can see their girth, the shape of their face, and maybe their eyes or mouth.”
On Tuesday afternoon, authorities returned near the Guthrie neighborhood and used vehicles to block their road. A few miles away, law enforcement was going door to door in the area where her daughter, Annie Guthrie, lived, talking to neighbors, walking through a sewer area and examining the inside of the sewers with a flashlight.
Investigators have said for more than a week they believe it was Nancy Guthrie Taken against her will. She was last seen at the home on January 31 and was reported missing the next day. Authorities said DNA tests showed the blood found on her porch was hers.
So far, authorities have revealed few details, leaving it unclear whether the ransom letters demanding money with deadlines already expired were authentic, and whether Guthrie’s family was in contact with whoever took Guthrie.
Savannah Guthrie posted the new surveillance photos on social media on Tuesday, saying the family believes their mother is still alive and providing phone numbers to the FBI and county sheriff. Within minutes, the post had thousands of comments.
Investigators hoped cameras would immediately reveal clues as to how Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her home in a secluded neighborhood.
But the doorbell camera was disconnected early on February 1. While the program recorded the movement in the home minutes later, Guthrie did not have an active subscription, so Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos initially said none of the footage could be recovered. Officials continued to work to obtain the footage.
Heartbreaking messages By Savannah Guthrie She and her family turned from hope to gloom when they made pleas for whoever would take Nancy Guthrie. In a video ahead of the alleged ransom deadline on Monday, Savannah Guthrie appeared alone and spoke directly to the audience.
“We are in an hour of despair,” she said. “We need your help.”
Much of the nation is closely following the related issue Long time anchor From the NBC morning show.
White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said President Donald Trump saw the new surveillance footage and was “absolutely disgusted,” encouraging anyone with information to contact the FBI.
This week, the FBI began posting digital billboards about the case in major cities from Texas to California.
FBI spokesman Conor Hagan said Monday that the agency He was not aware of the ongoing communications Between the Guthrie family and any suspected kidnappers. He added that the authorities had not identified any suspects.
Three days after the search began, Savannah sent Guthrie and her two brothers First public appeal For those who took their mother by saying: We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen.
In the recorded video, Guthrie said her family was aware of media reports about a ransom note, but first they wanted proof that their mother was alive.
“Please contact us,” they said.
The next day, Savannah’s brother Guthrie Submit an appeal againSaying: “Who is there carrying our mother, we want to hear from you. We have not heard anything directly.”
Then over the past weekend, the family Posted another video – one that was more mysterious and generative More speculation About the fate of Nancy Guthrie.
“We received your message, and we understand it,” said Savannah Guthrie, surrounded by her siblings. “Now we ask that you return our mother to us so we can celebrate with her.” “This is the only way we will achieve peace. This is of great value to us, and we will pay the price.”
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Golden reported from Seattle and Sawyer from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press reporters Darlene Superville in Washington, Ed White in Detroit, and Mike Balsamo, Eric Tucker and Alana Durkin Richer in Washington contributed to this report.