The man detained in connection with the abduction of Nancy Guthrie during a traffic stop has been identified as Carlos Palazuelos, a FedEx delivery driver, who was out on his daily duty. Palazuelos was briefly in custody and has since been released after authorities found that he had no links with Savannah Guthrie's missing mom, Nancy.
Palazuelos has since maintained that he had never earlier heard of the missing grandmother—or her famous daughter, Savannah Guthrie—before being questioned by police. "Never until today," Palazuelos told reporters when asked whether he knew anything about the "Today" show co-host or her missing mother. "I don't know anything," the delivery driver added.
Speaking Out
Despite the extensive media attention, Palazuelos said he had to Google Nancy Guthrie's name after police questioned him about her disappearance. The Tucson-area delivery driver believes that he came under scrutiny because a relative tipped off investigators that his eyes resembled those of the masked figure seen in the unsettling surveillance footage.
Palazuelos was questioned late Tuesday, only hours after federal authorities released the chilling video that appears to show the suspected abductor lingering outside the 84-year-old woman's home.
"Until right now, all I know is that they showed my in-law a picture of somebody wearing a mask, or something, and they supposedly looked like my eyes," the 36-year-old told Fox News shortly after he was released.
"I didn't do anything... I'm innocent," he said, describing how stunned he was to suddenly be detained.
He added that investigators questioned him about his job and pressed him for details on where he was on the night Nancy disappeared.
This came as a new ransom mail linked to Nancy's abduction was sent to TMZ. The ransom note demanded one bitcoin in return for details about who abducted the elderly woman. The payment—valued at about $67,000—was allegedly requested in exchange for the "name of the individual involved."
Shocking New Letter
This letter, the third such message sent since Nancy vanished on Jan. 31, included a functioning bitcoin address. A television host later revealed the detail during a Wednesday news appearance on Fox News' "America Newsroom."
"If they want the name of the individual involved, then I want 1 Bitcoin to the following wallet. Time is more than relevant," the note stated, TMZ reported.
"They said they want one Bitcoin sent to a Bitcoin address that we have confirmed is active. It's a real Bitcoin address, and as they put it, time is more than relevant," Levin said. "So we have no idea whether this is real or not. But they are making a demand."
The bitcoin address listed in this message is different from the one included in the original ransom note, which was sent last week to TMZ and two television news stations in the Tucson area.
TMZ said it has since handed over the latest note to the FBI as the investigation continues.
One bitcoin is valued at roughly $67,000 right now—significantly higher than the $50,000 reward police are offering for tips that lead to the arrest of those believed to be behind the kidnapping of NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother.
