A man who told reporters early Wednesday morning that he was the “subject” detained for questioning in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance was released from custody.
The man, who identified himself as Carlos Palazuelos, said he was released after eight hours of questioning. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department previously confirmed that a subject had been detained for questioning in connection to the Nancy Guthrie investigation.
Palazuelos maintained his innocence and said he was doing DoorDash deliveries when law enforcement detained him. He said he did not know who Nancy Guthrie was until he was questioned.
Pima County officials confirmed Wednesday in an emailed statement at about noon that the man detained for questioning was released after speaking with investigators.
"As with any investigation, we do not release the identities of individuals who are detained and later released without charges," the email said.
The department said in a statement Tuesday night that deputies detained a subject during a traffic stop south of Tucson. Officials announced a media staging area for reporters at a location in Rio Rico, near a house that authorities were searching.
The FBI said Wednesday that the agency’s evidence response team assisted the Pima County Sheriff's Department with a court-authorized search of a location in Rio Rico.
“Law enforcement was present at that location for several hours. Outside of that statement, we cannot provide additional details,” FBI spokesperson Connor Hagan told Arizona Public Media.
The FBI put out a statement Wednesday morning that officials would continue an extensive search in Catalina Foothills.
Statement on activity today. pic.twitter.com/kMznmdGvrk
— FBI Phoenix (@FBIPhoenix) February 11, 2026
The sheriff's department said it received more than 4,000 tips in the last 24 hours. Several hundred detectives and agents are currently assigned to this case, according to the sheriff's department.
"You will continue to see increased law enforcement activity throughout Pima County as the investigation expands," officials said.
TMZ reported receiving a third ransom note Wednesday morning. TMZ host Harvey Levin said in an appearance on Fox News’ “America Newsroom” that TMZ reported that the note demanded a $67,000 payment in exchange for the “name of the individual involved.”
Hagan said in an email that the FBI had no additional comment.
On Tuesday morning, the FBI and other investigators released images and videos of an armed individual wearing a ski mask, tampering with Guthrie’s Nest camera on her front porch.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department and FBI said in a statement that the agencies have been working closely with “private sector partners” to continue to recover any images or video footage from the Guthrie home that may have been lost, corrupted or inaccessible.
According to the statement, the video was recovered from “residual data located in backend systems.”
Nancy Guthrie, who is 84 years old, has been missing since Sunday, Feb. 1. She is the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, who grew up in Tucson.
The sheriff’s department established a tip-line QR code to gather information from the community. People can directly submit photos or videos that may be helpful to the investigation.
Nancy Guthrie updated flyer 2-10
Anyone with tips can also call 88-CRIME.
The FBI announced last week that it is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Guthrie’s return and the arrest and conviction of those responsible for her disappearance.
