• A brief detention without charges clouds the investigation’s path
• Mounting concern for the elderly woman’s fate amid a lack of new contact

Authorities in the U.S. state of Arizona have released a person who had been detained and questioned for several hours over suspected links to the abduction of Nancy Guthrie, 84, the mother of TV presenter Savannah Guthrie.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office said police, working with the FBI, stopped a man during a traffic search south of Tucson on Tuesday night.

The stop came just hours after investigations chief Kash Patel published newly obtained, “high-priority” video and images showing a masked individual armed with a handgun tampering with the front-door security camera at Nancy Guthrie’s home on the night she disappeared, February 1.

Following an intensive round of inquiries and a search of a property tied to the individual in the Rio Rico area near the Mexican border, security sources confirmed the man was released without formal charges.

The man, who identified himself as “Carlos,” said he was shocked by the detention and insisted he does not know Nancy Guthrie or her daughter Savannah.

His release returns the case to uncertainty as Nancy’s disappearance enters its tenth day.

Suspected kidnappers had set a final ransom deadline for Monday evening, but it passed without any new communication or proof of life.

Savannah Guthrie has shared images of the masked suspect on social media, issuing a public plea: “We believe she is still alive… someone out there will recognize this man. Please bring my mother home.”

Police confirmed traces of blood belonging to Nancy were found at the home’s entrance, reinforcing the theory of a forced abduction.

The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Nancy’s whereabouts or the identification of those responsible.

Fears for her life are growing due to her urgent need for daily medication for serious health conditions—medication she left behind at home.