By Leena Nasir
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department and FBI detained and released an individual believed to be connected to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.
ABC News reported that the individual was detained Tuesday in Rio Rico, an area south of Tucson, but is not considered a suspect in the case of the missing 84-year-old mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie. The individual was held for questioning, and a law enforcement source claimed the person is not a member of the Guthrie family, according to TMZ. CNN reported in the early hours Wednesday that the individual was released.
The outlet reported that a search warrant was issued to search a location associated with the individual, and officials investigated a vehicle as well as a residence in the area.
FBI Director Kash Patel released an image of a masked, armed person at Guthrie’s door who appeared to tamper with her Nest camera.
The footage was a breaking point in the case, and appeared to show the individual wearing gloves and a backpack, but the person’s eyes were exposed.
Nancy was reported missing Feb. 1 and was last seen Jan. 31. A trail of her blood was discovered outside of her home. Two alleged ransom notes were sent to media outlets, demanding $6 million in cryptocurrency to be paid by deadlines that have already passed.
TMZ reported activity in the Bitcoin account listed in the first ransom note for the first time Tuesday afternoon, but did not elaborate further.
Savannah took to Instagram on Monday to plead for the assistance of the public after 9 days without any suspect information in the case. (RELATED: FBI Unveils Surveillance Photos Of Masked Figure In Nancy Guthrie Case)
The FBI offered a $50,000 reward for information in this case.
