Disturbing Video Emerges, Person of Interest Questioned in Nancy Guthrie Case

As search intensifies for the alleged abductors in the Nancy Guthrie missing case, authorities on February 11 detained a person for questioning. The Pima County Sheriff's department said that the man was detained during a traffic stop south of Tucson based on investigative leads, however, he was released later.

According to ABC15, the detainee, identified as Carlos after his release, said, "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 added.

This development comes hours after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released surveillance videos of a masked individual wearing a handgun holster outside Nancy Guthrie's front door the night she disappeared from her Arizona home.

It may be noted that the department and the FBI were conducting a court-authorized search on February 10 at a location in Rio Rico, about an hour’s drive south of Tucson.

As the video footage and images are now in public domain, analysts have begun scrutinizing minute details so that it can help crack open the case.

In the footage that FBI recovered from Nancy Guthrie's Nest-made doorbell camera a person can be seen bent over walking across the square floor tiles to the door. A homicide detective Wallace Zeins believes this can apparently help the FBI determine the shoe size of the man.

Casey Jordan, a criminologist and behavioral analyst, said it appears that there could be a mobile phone in the person’s pocket, as seen in the video. Investigators in that case could use the video’s timestamp to see what devices were in the area before and after that time.

The individual in the video can be seen carrying what appears to be a pistol in a holster at the waist. However experts believe the holster and its placement suggests the individual was not proficient with firearms.

“In my opinion, this is not someone, first of all, who was ever trained to carry a gun,” said former deputy director of the FBI Andrew McCabe.

Steve Moore, a retired FBI supervisory special agent, similarly said the holster and gun did not appear to be appropriately paired.

The footage also shows the subject walking around outside as they approach Guthrie’s home and trying to obstruct the camera. While the movement may not be an obvious cue to strangers, experts say it could be recognizable to someone who knows the person.

Nancy Guthrie, 84-year-old mother of television presenter Savannah Guthrei was last seen on January 31 at her ranch-style home in Arizona. She was expected to attend a small in-home church gathering on February 1 but did not arrive. When friends were unable to reach her by phone, authorities were alerted. She has not been seen since.

Authorities declared Guthrie’s Tucson, Ariz., residence a crime scene. Investigators discovered blood droplets leading away from the home, and alleged ransom messages were sent to media outlets. Guthrie’s children later released video appeals on social media addressing the public and anyone who may be responsible for her disappearance.