The individual whom law enforcement detained and later released in connection with the case of Nancy Guthrie has spoken out.
Just after 7 p.m. Arizona time on Tuesday evening, officials announced that they had detained an individual in Arizona and would be questioning them about Nancy’s disappearance.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department released a brief statement about the development.
"Earlier today, Pima County Sheriff’s Department deputies detained a subject during a traffic stop south of Tucson. The subject is currently being questioned in connection to the Nancy Guthrie investigation. Additional information will be released as it becomes available,” the statement read.
It was also revealed that officials had conducted a “court-authorized” search of the home of the individual, which is located in Rio Rico, Arizona. His wife and mother-in-law also reside in the home.
Many hoped that this would finally be the break that the nation had been waiting for in this high-profile case that has now lasted over a week.
However, after being detained for several hours, the individual was released.
The individual, who has only publicly identified himself by his first name, Carlos, spoke out after being released. He denied having anything to do with Nancy’s disappearance. In fact, he claimed he wasn’t even aware of the case.
Carlos is 36-years-old and works as a delivery driver.
“I hope they get the suspect,” he said. “Because I’m not it.”
Carlos is the first known person to have been detained in the case as authorities continue to search for potential suspects.
On Tuesday, FBI Director Kash Patel released photos of a potential suspect that were captured on recently recovered surveillance footage. The photos show an armed individual wearing a mask and thick rubber gloves. In the video footage, the person appears to be tampering with the security cameras outside of Nancy’s home.
Nancy is 84-years-old and is the mother of TODAY show host Savannah Guthrie. Savannah has shared the pictures of the potential suspect on social media and has encouraged anyone who may recognize the individual to reach out to law enforcement.