TUCSON, AZ (KOLD/AZFamily/Gray News) — The FBI released new details Thursday afternoon about the suspect seen in surveillance video at Nancy Guthrie’s home and increased the reward in the case to $100,000.
The suspect is described as a man approximately 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-10 with an average build who was wearing a black 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.
Agents said they got the new information after the FBI Operational Technology Division’s forensic analysis of the doorbell camera video that was released earlier this week.
“We hope this updated description will help concentrate the public tips we are receiving,” the FBI said in a written release.
Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at http://tips.fbi.gov. Investigators said they have received more than 13,000 tips from the public.
This comes after Guthrie’s neighbors were asked to check a month’s worth of their security footage.
In an alert sent to certain users of the Neighbors by Ring app, subscribers are asked to check their security video from Jan. 1 through Feb 2. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) is specifically looking for video that includes vehicles, traffic, people/pedestrians or anything else neighbors deem out of the ordinary.
The alert went to residents who live within a two-mile radius of Guthrie’s home. The request comes directly from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which is verified through Ring with a blue checkmark.
Video can be uploaded here.
The sheriff’s department also said investigators have recovered several more items of evidence, including gloves, which have been submitted for analysis. As more leads come in, PCSD says the public “can expect to see a higher presence of law enforcement activity going forward.”
Thursday marks day 12 of the search for Guthrie. FBI activity has increased in the area this week, with agents on Wednesday searching roadways around the Catalina Foothills. In the morning, federal agents set up a tent outside Guthrie’s home, blocking the front door. It was taken down about an hour later.
Nancy’s daughter, “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, posted on Instagram Thursday morning, which included a brief home video from her childhood and a message: “We will never give up on her. Thank you for your prayers and hope.”
Meanwhile, authorities in Pima County say more detainments are likely as investigators work through thousands of calls and tips related to the disappearance of the 84-year-old.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos spoke with Arizona’s Family sister station KOLD Wednesday night, the day after the detainment of Carlos Palazuelos in connection to the case, saying more detainments were likely as the investigation continues.
Palazuelos was detained during a traffic stop Tuesday night in Rio Rico, Arizona, which is about 60 miles south of Tucson. He said he was held for hours, which Nanos confirmed. His home was searched until around 1 a.m. Wednesday, and he was released.
Palazuelos said the FBI told him he was questioned because a tip was called in saying he looked similar to the suspect seen in surveillance camera footage taken outside Nancy Guthrie’s home on Jan. 31, the morning of her disappearance.
On Tuesday, federal investigators released the video and photos, which show an armed individual tampering with the camera on Nancy Guthrie’s front door. The video shows the suspect, wearing a ski mask and gloves, walking slowly to the front porch.
After he was released, Palazuelos talked with KOLD about his detainment. He claimed he didn’t know why it happened and said he just wanted to clear his name.
“Something I didn’t do,” he said. “I know it’s their job to do what they are doing but to an innocent man? I think they don’t even have evidence against me, so I don’t even know how they got to me.”
Nanos said there were more factors leading to Palazuelos’ detainment than just a tip but could not expand on them. He said no one, including Palazuelos, has been ruled out as part of the investigation.
The sheriff’s department confirmed earlier Wednesday that black gloves found in Nancy Guthrie’s neighborhood are being tested for DNA. Nanos also said digital forensic teams have been examining and processing every piece of electronic evidence, including cell tower data.
On Tuesday, Savannah Guthrie shared the surveillance footage released by investigators on her social media, asking anyone with information to call law enforcement.
“We believe she is still alive,” she wrote of her mother. ”Bring her home.”
Detainment process
Andy Black, a former FBI assistant special agent in charge in Tucson, provided insight into the detainment process after Palazuelos was questioned and released.
“Generally, they find as much about an individual of interest as possible and their associates as well,” he said. “So, when they rolled up on this residence and executed a search warrant, they had a pretty good idea of who might be there and what they might find.”
Black said a magistrate would not sign off on a search warrant based solely on physical appearance.
“I do not believe a magistrate would sign off on a search warrant to enter someone’s residence and conduct a search based on eyebrows and a mustache,” Black said. “I think there must be more evidence if that’s what they were looking for, tying this location to the Guthrie investigation.
“Someone probably did provide that information. It seems rather flimsy to make a case on, but the sheriff’s department and the FBI have kept a lot of the evidence close to their vest as they should. So, I suspect there’s much more information that was involved in detaining him for that length of time.”
Regarding Palazuelos’ release, Black said it’s possible that investigators now “have another avenue of leads to pursue.”
“This doesn’t necessarily mean the FBI has moved away from this individual,” Black said. “But it does indicate that they don’t have enough to arrest or detain further.”
Click/tap here for more on the timeline of Nancy Guthrie going missing near Tucson.
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