A DoorDash driver in Arizona was released after being detained by police during the search for Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapper on Tuesday night. The man, who introduced himself as Carlos, expressed his frustration after being connected to the kidnapping of the 84-year-old, who is the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie. Strangely enough, the two didn’t even know each other.
“They held me against my will,” Carlos, 36, told reporters outside his home. “They didn’t even read me my rights until two hours later.”
Carlos complained about the handcuffs leaving his wrists swollen and, still visibly upset, he stood outside his residence in Rio Rico—about 90 miles south of Tucson—crying out to his innocence.
“What the hell am I doing here? To be honest, I’m not doing anything. I’m innocent,” he recalled feeling bewildered.
According to Carlos, he and his wife noticed a police car following them and decided to park. He explained that he jumped out of the car, thinking it might help. Carlos, who works as a delivery driver in Tucson, mentioned he doesn’t have any recollection of meeting Guthrie, who was reported missing earlier this month.
He added, “I told them I work for GLS in Tucson, and I may have delivered packages to her house, but I have never kidnapped anyone. They’ve been holding me from 4 p.m. until now.”
Interestingly, Carlos said he had never heard of Nancy or Savannah Guthrie, stating he doesn’t watch the news.
“I hope they catch the suspect. I’m not. They better find the suspect who did it so they can do their job and clear my name. I’m done,” Carlos said, feeling exhausted by the situation.
Carlos mentioned that no charges were pressed against him, and he was never told why he was searched in connection to the case.
Timeline of Savannah Guthrie’s mother’s disappearance:
While Carlos was in custody, authorities indeed searched his home, where he lives with his family. It’s unclear what they were looking for, but according to him, the police broke down both his front and garage doors.
“Look what they put my family through,” he said, gesturing to the damage.
His mother-in-law reported that all of Carlos’ cellphones and the car he was driving were taken. “They showed me the video to see if it was him. Even if what he was wearing looked familiar, he doesn’t have anything like that,” she told a news outlet.
She expressed her confusion about the case, mentioning she had seen news about Nancy on Facebook but hadn’t kept up with it closely.
“They’ve already asked us a lot of questions about this. Like I said, I have nothing to hide. I can go inside the house, I can search anything. I don’t know that woman,” she stated.
Later, the police returned the vehicle to Carlos’ family.
Earlier that day, the FBI released a photo of a masked individual who appeared to be armed while tampering with a doorbell camera outside Nancy Guthrie’s home on the morning she disappeared. The suspect, who seemed to have a flashlight in his mouth, was seen wandering around her patio, adjusting the camera and even picking a flower to place in front of the lens. A handgun was also visible in a holster on his pants.
