Arizona Man Says He Was Detained, Released in Nancy Guthrie Case: 'I'm Not It'
An Arizona man told a swarm of reporters that he was the person detained - and then released - in the Nancy Guthrie case. "I hope they get the suspect. I'm not it," he said, standing outside a home that was searched by law enforcement just hours before.
Before his release, which came in the early morning hours of February 11, the man's mother-in-law named him live on the air during a CNN broadcast. She revealed to reporters that the man, Carlos, was the person allegedly detained in the Nancy Guthrie disappearance, giving his full name. However, the mother-in-law adamantly denied from the start that her son-in-law had anything to do with the Guthrie abduction, revealing that she allowed authorities to search her house because she has nothing to hide, either.
Carlos gave at least three interviews on camera in the early morning hours of February 11, as the tragic Guthrie case took yet another bizarre twist. Earlier in the evening, the Pima County Sheriff's Department announced that a subject was detained after a traffic stop. "Subject detained in connection to Nancy Guthrie investigation," the Sheriff's Department wrote before releasing the man.
But authorities stopped short of calling the subject a person of interest and never named him. The media then trailed authorities to Rio Rico, Arizona, where law enforcement was searching the mother-in-law's house.
BREAKING: the man detained AND NOW RELEASED by authorities during the Nancy Guthrie investigation says he had no idea what was happening and that he just works as a delivery driver in Tucson. @abc15 pic.twitter.com/Wcui0Rjurh
— Lillian Donahue (@LillianDonahue) February 11, 2026
By 1:30 a.m., Ford Hatchett, an ABC 15 reporter in Phoenix, published a video interview with the man. Hatchett confirmed that Carlos was freed. "The man who says he was detained by Pima County Sheriff’s Deputies for 'kidnapping' Nancy Guthrie has now been released," wrote Hatchett, who added that Carlos "says he was held at the scene of the initial traffic stop for hours." The Sheriff's Department told Hatchett, "Investigators have completed their search of a property in Rio Rico. Nancy Guthrie investigation is ongoing. No further details at this time.”
Reaction was swift online, with many empathizing with the man and criticizing law enforcement.
this is insane. Back to square 1
— Josh Murphy (@jmurphyy95) February 11, 2026
The man and his mother-in-law want the world to know that he had nothing to do with it. In another on-camera interview, he described the detention as "terrifying...I was detained the whole time." He then said he was questioned about his "whereabouts," adding that he delivers packages in Tucson.
The Freed Arizona Man Told Journalists, 'I Never Kidnapped Anybody'
JLR captured the moment live tonight when Carlos arrived home...and law enforcement didn't ask him any questions about the Nancy Guthrie case? @JLRINVESTIGATES pic.twitter.com/KFer2aOPas
— Dalailynn (@Lynn5264902916) February 11, 2026
Carlos told Hatchett that an FBI agent informed him he was being detained for "kidnapping." He said, "For whom?" He confirmed that authorities told him Nancy Guthrie. Carlos said he might have delivered a package to her house, but "I never kidnapped anybody. They held me from like 4 until right now." He was standing outside when interviewed by Hatchett.
Carlos also spoke to other news outlets on camera, including CBS News, again confirming that he was released. It's not clear what led authorities to Carlos in the first place.
Reporters swarmed around Carlos when he arrived home. He told those journalists that he was shocked by the entire situation. He also said in that interview that authorities didn't even ask him any questions about Guthrie. "They sat me in the car. They investigated my car," he said, adding that police gave his car back to him. He said authorities broke the door of his family's house, as well as the garage door. Carlos said he had no idea what led authorities to him.
And so the investigation was back to square one, at least publicly.
@FBI will you pay Carlos for a new front door and garage door for your mistake in the Nancy Guthrie case?
— Alek Barrera (@AlekBarrera) February 11, 2026
It was the latest in a day and evening of dramatic developments in a case that had seemingly stalled until February 10. To be clear, authorities have not named the person they detained; Carlos has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Guthrie's disappearance.
The Mother-in-Law Insisted, 'He Has Nothing to Do With It, Either'
Earlier in the evening, the mother-in-law immediately denied any involvement in the case but said law enforcement was searching her house in Rio Rico, Arizona. In fact, she said that she had given law enforcement consent to search her house because she had nothing to hide. She insisted they would find nothing and certainly not Guthrie. Nogales Internationaladded, "She said her son-in-law is a good man, good father, has no criminal record and wouldn't do anything like this...She gave his name on the air with several television outlets." AZFamily also published the woman's interview, describing her as "the mother-in-law of the man who was detained for questioning in the Nancy Guthrie case." Her son-in-law's name then spread widely on social media.
The mother-in-law spoke to CNN, surrounded by reporters. "I have nothing to hide,” she told CNN. “There’s nobody in the house. I don’t know what’s going on. They’re investigating my son-in-law.” She said authorities were going in and out of her house and “taking a lot of pictures.” She said that “somebody gave a tip that the lady was in my house. I don't know her name. We don't know her. I don’t know who she is. I don't know anything about her."
The woman added: "They said they gave a tip that she was in my house. And I told them, 'You can go in and search the house. There's nobody there.'"
"They're investigating my son-in-law," she said. "He has nothing to do with it, either...They're invading my property, taking a lot of pictures." She said she told the authorities that they wouldn't find anything because "there's nothing to hide." She added that her son-in-law had not said anything about Guthrie. She saw the stories about Guthrie in passing on Facebook, but she didn't read them because "I don't know her." The mother-in-law confirmed of her son-in-law, "He was detained."
EXCLUSIVE:
— Ford Hatchett (@FordHatchett) February 11, 2026
The man who says he was detained by Pima County Sheriff’s Deputies for “kidnapping” Nancy Guthrie has now been released.
He only wants to be identified as Carlos. He says he was held at the scene of the initial traffic stop for hours.
Full interview to come soon. pic.twitter.com/Se2XBBhI31
According to the Green Valley News, "The intersection of West Frontage Road and Camino Agosto in Rio Rico was blocked off about 8:30 p.m. by two Santa Cruz County sheriff's vehicles and became a gathering spot for journalists. The area is in a quiet neighborhood not far from Rio Rico High School."
In its written report, CNN confirmed authorities were searching a car and a home and mentioned the woman's account. According to CNN, the detention was based on "investigative leads." A law enforcement source told CNN that, despite the detention, authorities still do not know the location of Nancy Guthrie.
CNN also published footage of the vehicle being searched, describing it as a gray SUV that was pulled over in the traffic stop where the subject was detained.
According to NBC News, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI’s Evidence Response Team were "conducting a court-authorized search tonight (February 10) at a location in Rio Rico, Arizona, that is related to the Guthrie investigation." The news broke on the evening of February 10, reported first by ABC News, with other national news outlets following suit.
Fox News' Brian Entin said the subject works as a delivery driver. The mother-in-law also said that he is a delivery driver in Tucson, but she named a different company. According to the woman, she was shown the surveillance video by authorities, but she claimed her son-in-law doesn’t have similar clothing to the masked person outside Guthrie's house.
"Just spoke with the mother-in-law of the man who is detained. She owns the house and says there’s an ongoing search warrant, and they took all of their electronic devices. She insists her son-in-law is not involved," Entin added.
New images in the search for Nancy Guthrie:
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) February 10, 2026
Over the last eight days, the FBI and 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/z5WLgPtZpT
ABC News cautioned, "There's no indication that the person who was detained is the figure seen in the newly released video footage."
Ever since the 84-year-old mother of TODAY Show co-host Savannah Guthrie vanished from her Tucson home, details have trickled out. Her blood droplets were found on the porch of her home, her door camera was tampered with, and her pacemaker was disconnected from her Apple Watch after 2 a.m. But where was the missing grandmother and mother of three? That's still unclear.
FBI
Those details were released at a sheriff's press conference, but the investigation seemed to stall, at least publicly, for a week, with the only new development being a series of mysterious ransom notes sent to local news outlets and TMZ. They demanded bitcoin. Then, suddenly, on February 10, everything changed, it seemed at first.
The FBI released disturbing photos and videos of the masked person who authorities believe was trying to tamper with Guthrie's camera. Authorities worked for a week to extract the images, and they provided key clues about the abductor. "We are looking at people who, as we say, are persons of interest,” FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News. But he didn't provide names.
Sheriff Chris Nanos Previously Released a Detailed Timeline
FBI
Early on in the investigation, the sheriff released a timeline of events, saying that Nancy took an Uber to her daughter Annie's house for dinner and games, and then the family brought her home.
According to the sheriff, the garage door opened at 9:48 p.m. on January 31, so that's when authorities believe Nancy arrived home from her daughter's house. Authorities believe she went to sleep.
At 2:12 a.m., Sheriff Chris Nanos said in the earlier news conference, software “detects a person on a camera."
At 2:28 a.m., “Nancy’s pacemaker app shows it was a disconnect from the phone," Nanos said. The next morning, she didn't show up for a church service, and her family reported her missing, according to the sheriff. And the search was on.
Where is Nancy Guthrie? That's not clear. Her daughter, Savannah, wrote on Instagram, "We believe she is still alive. Bring her home."