A man being probed as Nancy Guthrie’s potential captor was recorded trying to enter a locked gate nearby in the minutes before the 84-year-old was abducted, a report alleges.
Sources tell TMZ the FBI is “lasering in” on the mystery man in that clip, which the gossip site obtained, as a potential suspect in the shock kidnapping of the mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie.
The clip was recorded five miles from Nancy’s home in the Catalina Foothills area near Tucson, Arizona. TMZ notes that the mystery man is wearing a “similar” backpack to the one Guthrie’s captor wore in Nest doorbell footage recovered from her home.
TMZ reports the chilling clip showed a man trying—and failing—to enter a locked gate at 1:52 a.m. on Feb. 1. That is in the same timeframe that the local sheriff said he believes Guthrie was taken that day, as her own doorbell camera captured movement at 2:12 a.m.
If the man in the video is indeed the suspect, TMZ notes that he would have “19 minutes to drive the 5 miles, put on his disguise, and approach Nancy’s door.”
The FBI has released horrifying images of Nancy’s abductor at her front door, showing the criminal wearing a balaclava, black gloves, a jacket, pants, and a Walmart Ozark Trail Hiker bookbag.
Leads, including ransom notes that have demanded millions but not provided proof of life, have poured into the investigation but not yet yielded an arrest and charges. Local cops and the FBI brought a person of interest in for questioning on Tuesday, but later released him, saying he had no connection to the case.
The man, who identified himself as Carlos Palazuelos to reporters, slammed authorities after his release. He said he lives in Rio Rico, Arizona, an hour south of Guthrie’s home near the Southern Border.
Speaking to local outlets, Palazuelos said he had no idea why he was brought in for questioning and that he just works as a delivery driver in Tucson.
“I felt like I was being kidnapped,” Palazuelos said. “They didn’t tell me anything at the beginning... They held me against my will. They didn’t even read me my rights until two hours later.”
He said he told authorities, “What the f--- am I doing here? I didn’t do anything, to be honest. I’m innocent.”
Palazuelos said he did not even know who Guthrie was. He was in custody for eight hours, he said, which was just long enough for FBI Director Kash Patel to take a victory lap for yet another high-profile arrest that ultimately fell through.
Savannah Guthrie, 54, took to Instagram on Thursday to post archival footage of her, her two older siblings, and their mother.
“Our lovely mom. We will never give up on her,” she wrote in the caption. “Thank you for your prayers and hope.”
