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Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos fired back after being accused of withholding key physical evidence in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of TODAY Show anchor Savannah Guthrie, from the FBI.
“Not even close to the truth,” Nanos told KVOA on Thursday (February 12).
Nanos claimed to have been cooperating with federal officials in the Guthrie case despite Reuters reporting that evidence found in the investigation was sent to a private DNA laboratory in Florida rather than the FBI's national crime lab in Quantico, Virginia.
“Actually, the FBI just wanted to send the one or two they found by the crime scene, closest to it – mile, mile and a half . . . I said ‘No, why do that? Let’s just send them all to where all the DNA exist, all the profiles and the markers exist.’ They agreed, makes sense.” Nanos said.
The sheriff also claimed that gloves found by FBI investigators at the scene may not be as important to the case as initially believed after multiple pairs were picked up on the side of the road near Guthrie's home.
“We don’t even know the true value of these gloves,” Nanos said, claiming there was “quite a number of them.
Savannah Guthrie shared an emotional video as investigators set up a tent outside her mother's home on Thursday (February 12).
"Our lovely mom. 💛 We will never give up on her. Thank you for your prayers and hope," Savannah wrote in the video, which showed older footage of her family, as her mother's search stretched into its 13th day.
Investigators erected a tent outside Nancy's front door on Thursday after a pair of black gloves was found one day prior. Surveillance footage showed a suspect wearing gloves, however, it's not determined whether they're the same pair as they've been submitted for pending DNA analysis.
Savannah made a "desperation" plea as the deadline for her family to pay the ransom neared on Monday.
“We believe our mom is still out there,” Guthrie said in a video shared on her Instagram account Monday afternoon. “She was taken, and we don’t know where.”
Savannah asked for anyone to across the country to report any suspicious activity they witness.
“I’m coming on just to ask you not just for your prayers, but no matter where you are — even if you’re far from Tucson — if you see anything, if you hear anything, if there’s anything at all that seems strange to you, that you report to law enforcement,” she said.
“We need your help,” she added.
Savannah and her siblings had previously agreed to pay in a video shared on Saturday (February 7).
“We received your message and we understand,” Savannah said, while holding hands with her brother, Camron, and sister, Annie in the video shared to her Instagram account. “We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace.”
“This is very valuable to us, and we will pay,” she concluded.
An Arizona DoorDash and parcel delivery service driver was mistakenly detained in connection with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie on Tuesday (February 10), CBS News' Andres Gutierrez reports. Carlos Palazuelos, 36, identified himself to reporters outside his home after he was freed from custody, expressing both frustration and confusion.
“They held me against my will,” Palazuelos said via Guitierrez. “They didn’t even read me my rights until two hours later.”
The delivery driver, who said he'd never heard of Nancy or Savannah Guthrie, claims the incident left his wrists swollen from the handcuffs as he cried out his innocence.
“What the f–k am I doing here? I didn’t do anything, to be honest, I’m innocent,” he recalled of the ordeal.
Palazuelos said he was riding in a car with his wife when he noticed authorities following their vehicle, at which point they pulled over and he exited the car. The 36-year-old confirmed he worked for GLS, parcel delivery service, but couldn't recall encountering Nancy Guthrie, who was reported missing on February 1.
“I told them, I work in Tucson for GLS, I might have delivered a package to her house but I never kidnapped anybody,” he said via ABC 15. “They hold me from 4 p.m. ’til now.”
“I hope they get the suspect, because I’m not it. And they better do their job and find the suspect that did it so they can clear my name, I’m done,” Palazuelos added, claiming he wasn't given a reason why authorities sought him prior to being released without charges filed.
FBI Director Kash Patel had confirmed to FOX News that investigators were interviewing "persons of interest" amid reports that a man had been detained.
“Without polluting the investigation, I will say we have made substantial progress in these last 36-48 hours, thanks to the technical capabilities of the FBI and our partnerships and I do believe we are looking at people who, as we say, are persons of interest,” Patel said.
The detainment was reported hours after a surveillance video and photos showing a potential subject in connection with Guthrie's disappearance. Officials were referring to the person in the photo as a potential subject, but that didn't confirm that they are a subject in the ongoing investigation, two law enforcement sources confirmed to CBS News.