Sheriff suggests persons of interest in Guthrie kidnapping case not cleared

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos also says he is 'still positive' Nancy Guthrie's kidnapping will be solved

Published Jul 30, 2026  •  Last updated 12 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos speaks to the media on Feb. 3, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz. Photo by Jan Sonnenmair /Getty Images

The sheriff in charge of investigating the kidnapping of Today host Savannah Guthrie’s mother said two persons of interest questioned in the case have not been cleared and that he is “still positive” that they will solve the disappearance.

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Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos made the comments in an interview with Phoenix’s ABC15 as the six-month anniversary of Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping looms this weekend. His mention of the persons of interest, however, contradicted earlier information about the men, according to the New York Post.

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Earlier statements by the sheriff’s office in the sprawling county that encompasses Tucson, south of Phoenix, suggested two men detained for questioning in February – as well as three other people caught up in a police raid – were in the clear, the Post reported.

“Because we didn’t make an arrest or released some people doesn’t mean they’re cleared,” Nanos told ABC15. “It just means that we don’t have enough to hold you.”

He declined to comment when asked by the outlet if they were still investigating the two men: Delivery driver Carlos Palazuelos, who was questioned on Feb. 10, and another unnamed man who was stopped three day later, according to the Post.

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Savannah Guthrie and mother Nancy Photo by Instagram

Savannah Guthrie issues new plea to kidnappers

Palazuelos had earlier told ABC15 that he was terrified after being pulled over by sheriff’s deputies and believed he was being kidnapped himself.

“I told them … I might have delivered a package to their house, but I never kidnapped anybody,” he told ABC15 after being detained for questioning in February.

The interview came on the heels of Savannah Guthrie releasing another video plea asking the kidnappers to release her 84-year-old mom, who was reported missing on Feb. 1 with cops suspecting that she was snatched from her Tucson home.

In the video posted to Instagram, Guthrie asked the kidnappers to “do the right thing.

“Our family is in agony, we are in a nightmare that will not end,” she said. “Nothing about our situation has changed. We have done our part and we will never stop looking for her. We will always ache for her, feel that hole in our hearts.

“The world can be a cruel and unforgiving place and I know that you have tried to do things the right way, so I’m asking you — begging you — to do the right thing now.”

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A former CIA employee told the Post that the message points to new developments in the case, which could include a ransom note or message from the kidnappers.

“She’s (Guthrie) answering specific questions,” Tracy Walder told PageSix. “She does allude to the fact that some type of ransom was paid.”

As for the case, Nanos said the sheriff’s office has been sifting through evidence despite few clues being released and no official suspects being named.

“We have so much DNA to sort through,” he said, via ABC15.

“We have so much in terms of video evidence to look at. So I’m still positive that we’re going to resolve this case.”

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