Deputies detained a man during a traffic stop south of Tucson as the search for the missing 84-year-old entered its second week.
RIO RICO, AZ — FBI agents and Pima County sheriff’s deputies searched a home in the southern Arizona community of Rio Rico after authorities detained a man for questioning in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie.
The detention and search marked the first major public development since investigators said they believed Nancy Guthrie was taken from her home in the foothills outside Tucson. The sheriff’s department said the man was stopped during a traffic stop south of Tucson and was being questioned, while investigators served a court-authorized warrant at a Rio Rico location tied to the case. Authorities have not announced charges, and they have not said whether the detained man is the masked person seen on newly released surveillance footage at Guthrie’s home.
Guthrie was reported missing Feb. 1 after she did not show up as expected and relatives could not find her at her home outside Tucson. Investigators later described the residence as a crime scene and said evidence suggested she was taken against her will. Sheriff Chris Nanos has said she has limited mobility and relies on daily medications, a detail that has amplified the urgency of the search as days passed without confirmed contact. On Tuesday, the FBI released short videos and still images that, for the first time, showed a masked person outside Guthrie’s front door around the time she vanished. Hours later, deputies announced the detention.
The sheriff’s department said the court-authorized search in Rio Rico was expected to take several hours and did not immediately provide details about the location or the man being questioned. In a statement, the department described the detention as part of the ongoing investigation and asked the public to continue sending tips. Federal officials referred questions to local authorities as agents worked alongside deputies at the scene. Rio Rico, a community of about 20,000 residents, sits roughly an hour south of Tucson and about 15 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, an area crisscrossed by highways and rural roads that investigators have been canvassing for possible sightings.
The surveillance images released Tuesday showed a person wearing a ski mask and a backpack, approaching Guthrie’s front door at night. The figure appeared to keep their face angled away from the doorbell camera and used a gloved hand and a ripped plant to try to cover or block the lens. In the footage, the person also appeared to hold a flashlight in their mouth as they worked near the camera. FBI Director Kash Patel described the person as an “armed individual” and said investigators recovered the clips from residual data in back-end systems after days of effort to retrieve footage that was initially believed to be inaccessible.
Authorities have said the doorbell camera was disconnected early Feb. 1, and investigators initially struggled to pull usable images from it. Sheriff’s officials later said DNA testing showed blood found on Guthrie’s porch was hers, one of the pieces of evidence that pushed the case beyond a typical missing-person search. ABC News reported investigators also found a door propped open and said Guthrie’s cellphone and Apple Watch were left behind. The sheriff has said her medications were still at home as well, raising fears about her health if she remains without them. Despite the evidence at the scene, investigators have not publicly confirmed where Guthrie may have been taken or whether she is still alive.
The Rio Rico search drew new attention to a man’s family members who said officers arrived in force. In interviews carried by local outlets, a woman identified as Josefina Maddox said investigators searched her home after receiving a tip that Guthrie was there. Maddox said she told officers they could search and insisted there was no one inside who matched what they were looking for. She also said the man detained during the traffic stop was her son-in-law and claimed he had nothing to do with the case. Maddox described investigators taking photographs and moving in and out of the house as the search continued late into the night.
As the investigation expanded, law enforcement activity continued around Tucson, where Guthrie disappeared. The Associated Press reported that authorities returned to Guthrie’s neighborhood Tuesday afternoon, blocking her driveway with vehicles. Investigators also went door-to-door near the home of Guthrie’s daughter Annie, speaking with neighbors and checking drainage areas, including looking inside a culvert with a flashlight. Those efforts signaled investigators were pursuing leads across multiple locations, while the newly released images helped focus public attention on a specific figure near the home at a critical time.
The case has drawn national attention in part because of Savannah Guthrie’s high profile and because her family has repeatedly appeared on camera pleading for Nancy Guthrie’s return. Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have posted video messages asking anyone with information to contact authorities and signaling they were willing to pay a ransom if that would bring their mother home. In one recent message, Savannah Guthrie said the family believed her mother was still alive and asked for help. Authorities have not confirmed any direct communication with kidnappers, and they have not publicly validated reported ransom notes that circulated with deadlines that have since passed.
Officials have also faced questions about what they knew and when, including why the doorbell footage was not immediately available. The AP reported that early in the search, the sheriff initially said the footage could not be recovered because Guthrie did not have an active subscription connected to the camera service, even though software showed movement recorded at the home. Federal officials later said investigators pulled the video from stored data after extensive work. Former FBI agent Katherine Schweit told the AP that even heavily masked images can generate leads because body shape, posture, and small details can help identify someone when combined with tips and other evidence.
The investigation has produced a growing public footprint across the country. The AP reported that the FBI began posting digital billboards in major cities, part of a broader effort to generate tips as the case moved into its second week. The White House also weighed in after the release of the surveillance footage, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying President Donald Trump watched the video and urged anyone with information to contact the FBI. The expanding outreach underscored both the intense interest in the case and the pressure on investigators to find Guthrie quickly.
For now, authorities have described the detained man only as a subject being questioned, and they have not said what evidence, if any, led deputies to stop him or how he may be connected to the masked figure seen at the door. The sheriff’s department has not announced an arrest, and it has not outlined a timeline for possible charges. Investigators have also not said whether they recovered anything significant in the Rio Rico search, such as clothing, weapons, electronics, vehicles, or other items that could tie a suspect to the scene outside Tucson. The FBI and sheriff’s officials have said they are continuing to follow leads and verify tips as they come in.
Late Tuesday and early Wednesday, the search remained active, with authorities signaling that more information could emerge as evidence is processed from the Rio Rico location and other sites connected to the case. Investigators have not said whether they plan to hold a briefing, and local officials said no press conference was scheduled Tuesday night. The next milestone is expected to be the release of results from the Rio Rico search and any decision on charges, as investigators continue to pursue leads aimed at finding Nancy Guthrie.
Author note: Last updated February 11, 2026.