Person detained, later released in search for US TV anchor's mother: Reports

LOS ANGELES: Authorities detained and later released a person in connection with the kidnapping of TV anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother, United States media reported on Wednesday (Feb 11), as new images of an apparent suspect intensified the high-profile manhunt.

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on Feb 1 from her home in the southwestern state of Arizona, and until Tuesday, investigators had revealed little new information on their search for the 84-year-old woman, who lived alone.

But after recovering images from Guthrie's damaged front-door camera, the FBI released photos and video of a masked person approaching her home on the night of the kidnapping.

Hours after the footage was released, US media reported that an individual had been detained for questioning, raising hopes of a new breakthrough.

However, after a search of a location linked to the person, the individual was released, ABC News and the New York Times reported, citing law enforcement sources.

A Phoenix, Arizona, television station, KNXV-TV, interviewed a deliveryman who said he had been detained by police on suspicion of kidnapping Guthrie. 

He said he and his wife pulled over when they noticed that the police were following them. 

The man, who gave only his first name and said he lived in the town of Rio Rico, said he was innocent and that police released him after several hours. 

His account could not be independently verified. Local and federal authorities have not confirmed that the person they detained was released.

The six photographs and three videos posted by FBI Director Kash Patel on his X account show an individual wearing gloves, a mask and a backpack, approaching Guthrie's doorstep in eerie black-and-white imagery.

A holstered gun is apparently visible on the person's waist.

Nancy Guthrie, mother of NBC News "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, is believed to have been kidnapped from her home in Tuscon on the night of Jan 31 or in the early hours of Feb 1.

"As of this morning, law enforcement has uncovered these previously inaccessible new images showing an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie's front door the morning of her disappearance," Patel wrote.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt began a media briefing by saying she and US President Donald Trump had just reviewed the newly released imagery.

The Guthrie family has received ransom letters with payment demands, the FBI has said.

"WE NEED YOUR HELP"

Footage shows the individual approaching Guthrie's front door, head down, clad in long pants, a zip-up jacket, a hat and gloves, and carrying a backpack.

The person's hands loom over the camera for several seconds before he or she turns, looking for something on the ground, then steps outside the entryway and pulls up some plants.

Subsequent footage appears to show the person pushing the plants against the camera.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos last week stated that the doorbell camera outside Nancy Guthrie's home was disconnected at 1.47am on Feb 1.

At 2.12am, "software detects a person on a camera, but there's no video available", he said.

Savannah Guthrie on Monday released the latest video appeal for public help in tracking down her ailing mother, who suffers from heart problems and needs regular medication.

"As we enter into another week of this nightmare ... thank you so much for all of the prayers and the love that we have felt," an emotional Guthrie said on Instagram.

"Law enforcement is working tirelessly around the clock trying to bring her home, trying to find where she was taken, and we don't know where.

"We believe our mom is still out there. We need your help."

Nancy Guthrie's disappearance has garnered wall-to-wall coverage in US media, with dozens of reporters and camera crews descending on the quiet Arizona suburb where she lives.

Authorities said they believed the missing woman was still alive, and said blood discovered on her doorstep belonged to her.