FBI Intensifies Search for Nancy Guthrie Amidst New Clues and $100K Reward
The FBI Phoenix office has significantly escalated its search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, who vanished on February 1. The reward for information leading to her whereabouts or the arrest of those responsible has been doubled to $100,000. Authorities have released a more precise description of a person of interest captured in doorbell camera footage: a man standing 5 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall with an average build, observed wearing a black 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack. This updated description aims to refine the overwhelming volume of tips received, which includes over 13,000 by the FBI and nearly 18,000 calls to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, many of which have been deemed irrelevant.
Investigators are appealing to residents within a two-mile radius of Guthrie’s home to submit doorbell or surveillance footage from critical timeframes: January 11 (between 9 p.m. and midnight) and January 31 (between 9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m.), as well as any suspicious vehicles around 10 a.m. Among the items of evidence recovered are multiple gloves, one of which was found approximately 1.5 miles from Guthrie’s residence and reportedly resembles a glove seen in the video. CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller explained that rigorous forensic analysis, including fingerprint and DNA testing, will be performed on the glove, potentially identifying a person if DNA matches a criminal record. However, Miller cautioned that the glove’s direct connection to the case remains unconfirmed.
In a separate development, 36-year-old Carlos Palazuelos was briefly detained and questioned near Tucson concerning the disappearance. Palazuelos, who works for GLS, vehemently maintained his innocence upon release, stating he fully cooperated with law enforcement. He speculated that he might have delivered a package to Guthrie’s home in his capacity as a delivery driver but denied any involvement in a kidnapping, asserting he was unaware of the reasons for his detention until detectives informed him.
