The man, who identified himself as Carlos, said he was pulled over for a traffic stop and detained for several hours.

Person of interest detained in Nancy Guthrie disappearance is released

The man, who identified himself as Carlos, said he was pulled over for a traffic stop and detained for several hours.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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February 11, 2026 10:55 a.m. ET

Nancy Guthrie. Credit:

Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

The individual who was detained by authorities as a person of interest in connection to the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie's mom Nancy has since been released, per *The New York Times*.

The man, who identified himself as Carlos, was released in the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to the outlet. In addition to detaining him, the *Times* reported that law enforcement searched through his Rio Rico, Ariz., home, where the 36-year-old resides with his wife and mother-in-law.**

Speaking to reporters outside his house, Carlos explained that he was pulled over for a traffic stop, asked for his name, and then detained by officers while driving in Rio Rico on Tuesday evening.

Savannah Guthrie/Instagram

“I hope they get the suspect, because I’m not it,” he said. “They better do their job and find the suspect that did it so they can clear my name.”**

Carlos told reporters that he was held by law enforcement for several hours before being released without being questioned. He also said that he did not know of Nancy or Savannah Guthrie and didn’t watch the *Today* show. “I don’t follow the news,” he said.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has not announced the name of the person of interest who was detained. Representatives for the department did not immediately respond to **’s request for comment.

Everything we know about Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother so far: Alleged ransom, crime scene, and more

No suspect identified in Nancy Guthrie's disappearance despite reports, sheriff says

Carlos’ release comes just hours after the department announced on social media that its deputies had “detained a subject during a traffic stop south of Tucson.” **

The statement continued, “The subject is currently being questioned in connection to the Nancy Guthrie investigation. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.”

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Carlos’ mother-in-law, Josefina Maddox, told reporters outside their home earlier that he works as a delivery driver and had “nothing to do” with Nancy’s disappearance. **

“They're just invading my property," she said, per CBS News. “I told him [an investigator] they're going in and out of my house, taking a lot of pictures and everything. I mean, like, I told him, we're not hiding anything. I gave him permission. You can go and search and there's nothing in my house. You won't find anything because we don't have nothing to hide."

Savannah Guthrie.

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

Earlier on Tuesday, FBI bureau director Kash Patel published the first videos and images of a potential suspect involved in Nancy’s kidnapping. The footage was taken on her Nest security camera and depict a masked individual standing outside of her front door and tampering with the camera.

Nancy was last seen on the evening of Jan. 31 when she returned to her Tucson home. She was declared missing the following day. Local authorities have launched a large-scale search to locate her, with Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos announcing that her disappearance was being investigated as a crime.

Savannah and her siblings have published several videos pleading for their mother to be returned home safely.**

"If you see anything, you hear anything, if there's anything at all that seems strange to you, that you report to law enforcement," she said in a video posted on Monday. "We are at an hour of desperation, and we need your help."**

The FBI and the Sheriff's Department are asking anyone with information to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. The bureau has also set a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to Nancy's recovery or the arrest of anyone involved in her disappearance.

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