Man Briefly Detained By Police In Nancy Guthrie Case Speaks Out

An Arizona man briefly detained in connection with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie is speaking out, insisting he had no role in the troubling case that has drawn national attention.

Carlos Palazuelos, 36, was taken into custody earlier this week outside Tucson and questioned by investigators probing the disappearance of the 84-year-old mother of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. Law enforcement officials have characterized the detention as part of routine investigative procedures and have not labeled Palazuelos a suspect.

After being released, Palazuelos told reporters he fully cooperated with authorities and was stunned by the allegations.

“They didn’t even tell me what’s going on until the detectives got here … They told me I was being detained for kidnapping, and I asked them, ‘Kidnapping of who?’” Carlos told ABC15.

When informed it was related to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, he responded, “Yeah, that’s her. And I told him, I work in Tucson for GLS. I might have delivered a package to your house, but I never kidnapped anybody. They held me from like 4 pm (local time) to right now.”

Authorities previously indicated they were preparing to search a property connected to Palazuelos. He later clarified that the residence in question belongs to his in-laws, not to him directly.

According to Palazuelos, investigators ultimately acknowledged they lacked sufficient evidence to hold him.

“Like, they didn’t have, no, it was insufficient evidence. Like, they only had a phone on me. That’s all they had,” he said.

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He added that deputies with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department informed him he was no longer under active investigation, though other federal authorities could potentially request additional questioning.

“That I’m free to go,” he said. “Yeah. And Pima County, they already cleared me, but the FBI, they might not or something like that.”

Palazuelos repeatedly denied any involvement.

“I’m innocent. I’ll let you know that. I didn’t do anything.”

He said investigators began scrutinizing him after a relative reportedly suggested that his eyes resembled those of a masked individual seen in surveillance footage released in the case.

“Until right now, all I know is that they showed my in-law a picture of somebody wearing a mask, or something, and they supposedly looked like my eyes,” he said.

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on Jan. 31 from her home in the Catalina Foothills area north of Tucson. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department, working alongside the Federal Bureau of Investigation, continues to lead the investigation.

Authorities have not publicly disclosed specific evidence tying Palazuelos — or anyone else — to the disappearance, and no formal suspects have been named. Law enforcement officials are urging anyone with relevant information to come forward as the search enters its second week.

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that multiple individuals are being examined as part of the investigation. His remarks followed the FBI’s release of surveillance images showing a masked figure near Guthrie’s front door around the time she vanished.

“Without polluting the investigation, I will say we have made substantial progress in these last 36-48 hours, thanks to the technical capabilities of the FBI and our partnerships, and I do believe we are looking at people who, as we say, are persons of interest, but as you know with any investigation, you’re a person of interest until you’re either eliminated, or you’re actually found to be the culprit or the culprits involved, and that’s the stage we’re at right now,” Patel said during an interview on “Hannity.”

As the investigation intensifies under the leadership of federal and local authorities, officials maintain that every credible lead is being pursued. For now, Palazuelos says he is focused on clearing his name — while law enforcement continues its urgent effort to locate Nancy Guthrie and determine exactly what happened.