TUCSON, Ariz. — FBI agents were scouring roadways in the foothills near Nancy Guthrie’s home north of Tucson, Arizona, on Wednesday, hours after the release of a man who was detained during a traffic stop near the Mexican border and questioned in relation to her disappearance.

The man’s release, hours after chilling video footage of a suspect was provided to the public, appeared to leave investigators no closer to solving the case that has mesmerized much of America since the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie vanished 11 days ago.

In an interview early Wednesday after he was released by authorities, the man, who identified himself only as Carlos, said he had not heard about the Nancy Guthrie case. “I hope they get the suspect, because I’m not it,” he said, speaking on the doorstep of his home in Rio Rico, Arizona, about an hour’s drive south of Nancy Guthrie’s suburban home just outside of Tucson.

Earlier Tuesday, footage released by law enforcement authorities revealed a masked person on Guthrie’s porch about the time that she is believed to have vanished from her neighborhood near Tucson early on Feb. 1. The person is wearing a ski mask, gloves and a backpack, and appears to be armed with a pistol.

Authorities have said they are investigating Guthrie’s disappearance as a kidnapping, and Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have released a series of videos pleading with whoever is involved to reach out to them. They said they were prepared to listen to ransom demands.

Here’s What Else Is Happening:

— Rio Rico search: The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department carried out what they described as a “court-authorized search” in Rio Rico, which had been completed by early Wednesday morning. A woman at the home being searched said that her son-in-law, the man detained for questioning in the case, had been delivering food when he was stopped by police.

— Chilling video: The 44 seconds of silent, black-and-white surveillance footage released Tuesday shows a masked figure approaching Guthrie’s house and raising a gloved hand to block a Nest doorbell camera. The camera was eventually disabled, making the footage initially inaccessible until it could be recovered from backups.

— Timeline: Guthrie’s older daughter, Annie, and her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, were the last people to see her before she vanished. Cioni drove Guthrie home from dinner on Jan. 31. Hours later, at 1:47 a.m., the front door camera was disconnected. Investigators believe that she was most likely taken soon after.

— Ransom demand: Authorities had said last week that they were reviewing a message sent to a Tucson television station, but did not confirm that it was related to a purported ransom note sent earlier, which demanded millions of dollars in bitcoin.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs/Cassidy Araiza
c. 2026 The New York Times Company