A man was taken into custody near the U.S.–Mexico border Tuesday night in connection with the abduction of Nancy Guthrie, as law enforcement officers executed a court-authorized search at the property where he had reportedly been staying.
The individual, whose identity has not yet been released, was detained following a traffic stop south of Tucson, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
“The subject is currently being questioned in connection with the Nancy Guthrie investigation,” authorities confirmed in an official statement.
He was apprehended in Rio Rico, Arizona — a small community near the southern border — where investigators are now carrying out a court-ordered search of a residence close to Interstate 19.
Witness Krystal Bacica described a significant law enforcement presence at the scene. “There were five or six unmarked vehicles. They had a silver SUV pulled over, with a police car positioned in front of it. Two men stepped out wearing hats labeled ‘FBI,’” she told the Daily Mail. She added that the only clearly marked patrol vehicle belonged to Marana Police and that the stop occurred directly in front of her apartment building on Frontage Road in Rio Rico.
However, federal officials have indicated that more than one person may be under scrutiny. Speaking to Fox News Tuesday night, FBI Director Kash Patel stated that investigators are examining multiple “persons of interest.”
“Our outreach to the private sector has indicated there may be individuals in and around the area connected to this event,” Patel said. While he declined to provide specific details, he emphasized that authorities are working methodically to rule out anyone not involved. He stressed that the agency’s primary objective remains locating Nancy safely, followed closely by ensuring that anyone responsible for the kidnapping is brought to justice.
Earlier that same day, federal authorities released disturbing surveillance footage from the night Nancy disappeared. The doorbell camera video shows a masked individual dressed in dark clothing, wearing black latex gloves and carrying a backpack. The suspect appears to tamper with the Nest doorbell camera before forcibly removing it from the door frame. By the time sheriff’s deputies arrived the following morning, the device was gone.
As of Tuesday night, it remained unclear whether the person detained near the border is the same individual captured in the surveillance footage. According to TMZ, the detained individual is not a member of the Guthrie family.
Authorities are now preparing to search a property connected to the detained suspect, ABC News reported. At the same time, local SWAT teams, a bomb squad, and the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team have been deployed as part of the ongoing operation.
Meanwhile, a Bitcoin account referenced in alleged ransom letters sent to several media outlets showed activity on Tuesday — just one day after a reported $6 million deadline for Nancy’s safe return had passed.
“I can only tell you that we have seen activity in the account,” TMZ’s Harvey Levin said Tuesday night, declining to provide further details. Local outlet KGUN later reported that the transaction involved less than $300.
TMZ is among three media organizations that reportedly received ransom messages related to Nancy’s abduction.
Investigators have not yet confirmed whether the man detained Tuesday night is the same masked figure seen in the surveillance footage — a figure who, moments before the camera was removed, raised a gloved fist, with what appeared to be facial hair visible beneath the mask.