Investigators searching a location in Arizona in disappearance of Nancy Guthrie

RIO RICO, Ariz. (AP) — A idiosyncratic was detained for questioning Tuesday successful the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, hours aft the FBI released surveillance videos of a masked idiosyncratic wearing a handgun holster extracurricular Guthrie’s beforehand doorway the nighttime she vanished from her Arizona home.

Deputies detained the idiosyncratic during a postulation halt southbound of Tucson, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. It did not instantly supply details astir the idiosyncratic oregon the location. The FBI referred questions to the sheriff’s office.

A Phoenix, Arizona, tv station, KNXV-TV, interviewed a transportation antheral who said helium had been detained by constabulary connected suspicions of kidnapping Guthrie. He said helium was guiltless and that constabulary released him aft respective hours. Local and national authorities person not confirmed that the idiosyncratic who they had detained was released.

The section and the FBI were conducting a court-authorized hunt Tuesday nighttime astatine a determination successful Rio Rico, astir an hour’s thrust southbound of Tucson, the section said successful a statement. It was expected to instrumentality respective hours.

Guthrie disappeared connected Feb. 1 and since past the lawsuit has gripped the nation. Until Tuesday, it seemed authorities were making small headway successful determining what happened to the 84-year-old parent of “Today” amusement big Savannah Guthrie oregon uncovering who was responsible.

Savannah Guthrie and her 2 siblings person released a bid of video statements pleading for the instrumentality of their parent and indicating a willingness to wage a ransom. Authorities person described Nancy Guthrie arsenic mentally dependable but with constricted mobility. She takes respective medications and determination was interest from the commencement that she could dice without them, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said repeatedly.

The assemblage of Rio Rico — colonisation 20,000 — is astir an hour's thrust from Guthrie's location and astir 15 miles (24 kilometers) northbound of the U.S.-Mexico border.

The videos released earlier Tuesday amusement a idiosyncratic wearing a skis disguise and a backpack. At 1 point, they tilt their caput down and distant from a doorbell camera portion approaching Guthrie's beforehand door. The footage besides shows the idiosyncratic holding a flashlight successful their rima and trying to screen the camera with a gloved manus and portion of a works ripped from the yard.

The videos — little than a combined infinitesimal successful magnitude — gave investigators and the nationalist their archetypal glimpse of who was extracurricular Guthrie's location successful the foothills extracurricular Tucson. But the images did not amusement what happened to her oregon assistance find whether she is inactive alive.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the “armed individual” appeared to "have tampered with the camera." It was not wholly wide whether determination was a weapon successful the holster.

The videos were pulled from information connected "back-end systems” aft investigators spent days trying to find lost, corrupted oregon inaccessible images, Patel said.

“This volition get the telephone ringing for tons of imaginable leads,” said erstwhile FBI cause Katherine Schweit. “Even erstwhile you person a idiosyncratic who appears to beryllium wholly covered, they’re truly not. You tin spot their girth, the signifier of their face, perchance their eyes oregon mouth.”

Tuesday afternoon, authorities were backmost adjacent Guthrie’s neighborhood, utilizing vehicles to artifact her driveway. A fewer miles away, instrumentality enforcement was going door-to-door successful the country wherever girl Annie Guthrie lives, talking with neighbors arsenic good arsenic walking done a drainage country and examining the wrong of a culvert with a flashlight.

Investigators person said for much than a week that they judge Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will. She was past seen astatine location Jan. 31 and reported missing the adjacent day. DNA tests showed humor connected her structure was hers, authorities said.

Authorities initially could not propulsion images from camera

Until now, authorities person released fewer details, leaving it unclear if ransom notes demanding wealth with deadlines already passed were authentic, and whether the Guthrie household has had immoderate interaction with whoever took Guthrie.

Savannah Guthrie posted the caller surveillance images connected societal media Tuesday, saying the household believes their parent is inactive live and offering telephone numbers for the FBI and region sheriff. Within minutes, the station had thousands of comments.

Investigators had hoped cameras would crook up grounds close distant astir however Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her location successful an secluded neighborhood.

But the doorbell camera was disconnected aboriginal connected Feb. 1. While bundle recorded question astatine the location minutes later, Guthrie did not person an progressive subscription, truthful Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos had initially said nary of the footage could beryllium recovered. Officials continued moving to get the footage.

Savannah Guthrie expressed desperation a time ago

Heartbreaking messages by Savannah Guthrie and her household shifted from hopeful to bleak arsenic they made pleas for whoever took Nancy Guthrie. In a video conscionable up of a purported ransom deadline Monday, Savannah Guthrie appeared unsocial and spoke straight to the public.

“We are astatine an hr of desperation,” she said. “We request your help.”

Much of the federation is intimately pursuing the lawsuit involving the longtime anchor of NBC’s greeting show.

White House property caput Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump watched the caller surveillance footage and was successful “pure disgust,” encouraging anyone with accusation to telephone the FBI.

The FBI this week began posting integer billboards astir the lawsuit successful large cities from Texas to California.

Connor Hagan, a spokesperson for the FBI, said Monday that the bureau was not alert of ongoing connection betwixt Guthrie’s household and immoderate suspected kidnappers. Authorities besides had not identified immoderate suspects, helium said.

Videos from Guthrie siblings appealed straight to whoever took their mom

Three days aft the hunt began, Savannah Guthrie and her 2 siblings sent their archetypal nationalist entreaty to whoever took their mother, saying, “We privation to perceive from you, and we are acceptable to listen.”

In the recorded video, Guthrie said her household was alert of media reports astir a ransom letter, but they archetypal wanted impervious their parent was alive.

"Please scope retired to us,” they said.

The adjacent day, Savannah Guthrie’s member again made a plea, saying, “Whoever is retired determination holding our mother, we privation to perceive from you. We haven’t heard thing directly."

Then implicit the past weekend, the household posted different video — 1 that was much cryptic and generated adjacent much speculation astir Nancy Guthrie's fate.

“We received your message, and we understand. We beg you present to instrumentality our parent to america truthful that we tin observe with her,” said Savannah Guthrie, flanked by her siblings. “This is the lone mode we volition person peace. This is precise invaluable to us, and we volition pay.”

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Golden reported from Seattle and Seewer from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press reporters Darlene Superville successful Washington, Ed White successful Detroit, and Mike Balsamo, Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer successful Washington contributed to this report.

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