A person of interest has been detained for questioning in connection with the abduction of Nancy Guthrie, the Pima County Sheriff's Office said. The unidentified person was taken into custody on Tuesday night after being pulled over during a traffic stop south of the city, the Pima County Sheriff's Department said.
The sheriff's office said the person is being questioned about Nancy's disappearance after the traffic stop in Rio Rico, a small border town just 16 miles from Mexico. It's unclear whether he was trying to cross the border, sources said. Authorities believe he isn't a member of the Guthrie family, and he has not been formally named a suspect.
Big Breakthrough
FBI Director Kash Patel later confirmed that federal agents are investigating "persons of interest," which he shared during an appearance on Fox News Tuesday night. "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 breakthrough came just hours after federal authorities released chilling doorbell camera footage from the home of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie's mother on the night she was abducted.
The video shows a masked, armed figure wearing black latex gloves and a backpack. The person is seen fiddling with the Nest doorbell camera before forcefully tearing it off the door frame. By the time sheriff's deputies arrived later that morning, the camera was gone.
It was still not clear on Tuesday night whether the person taken in for questioning was the same man seen in the surveillance video. TMZ reported that the detained person is not part of the Guthrie family.
According to ABC News, investigators are now getting ready to search a property linked to the person in custody.
Answers Expected Soon
However, federal authorities are looking at more than one 'person of interest,' FBI Director Kash Patel told the outlet on Tuesday night. He said the FBI's work with private-sector partners has suggested there may be "persons of interest" in and around the area connected to the case.
Patel did not name anyone specifically but explained that investigators are methodically ruling out people who may not be involved. He stressed that the agency's top priority is locating Nancy, followed closely by identifying and apprehending anyone tied to the kidnapping so they can be held accountable.
As part of the effort, local SWAT units, a bomb squad, and the FBI's elite Hostage Rescue Team have been deployed to the city.
At the same time, a Bitcoin wallet mentioned in alleged ransom messages sent to multiple news organizations showed signs of activity on Tuesday—a day after the deadline for the family to pay $6 million for Nancy's safe return.
Despite the seemingly positive turn in the case, Patel struck a cautious tone, saying he didn't want to raise public expectations or offer "false hope." "The FBI is making advancements, and I don't want the people out there to have a false hope of what we are putting forward, but we have made significant steps in executing this investigation," he added.
Authorities have not yet said whether they know if Nancy is still alive or safe.
The latest breakthrough comes more than a week after her disappearance. Nancy was last seen on January 31, when her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, dropped her off at her Tucson home after she had dinner with him and her daughter, Annie.
