SHOCKING: Detained Suspect Speaks After Month-Long Search for Nancy Guthrie

Savannah Guthrie; Nancy Guthrie.Credit : Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty; Pima County Sheriff’s Department/X

NEED TO KNOW

Nancy Guthrie was taken from her Tucson, Ariz., home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1
On Feb. 10, authorities released Nest surveillance camera pictures and video of a masked, armed assailant at Nancy’s front door
Luke Daley, 37, who was detained and then released in connection with the case, said he has nothing to do with Nancy’s presumed abduction

An Arizona man who was detained after a SWAT raid at his home in connection with Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance before being released is speaking out for the first time, saying he had nothing to do with her presumed abduction.

On Feb. 13, SWAT members armed with a search warrant descended on the Tucson home of Luke Daley, 37, and his mother, 77, who live about two miles from Nancy, the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, Fox News reported.

After being held for hours, they were released without being charged.

In an interview with True Crime Arizona host Briana Whitney released Monday, March 2, Daley opened up for the first time about the incident.

He believes law enforcement zeroed in on him after people on social media started saying that he looked like the masked, armed person seen on Nest doorbell footage on Feb. 1, the night Nancy vanished.

Luke Daley.True Crime Arizona

When Whitney told him that some people believe he is the person seen in the video, he replied, “It’s not me. I don’t see the resemblance of it looking like me. Absolutely not. I have nothing to do with this case.”

He added, “Someone says something and then they just go off of it based on no evidence, no truth.”

Daley said he has no idea who is involved and if he did, he would let authorities know, adding, “I, like everyone else, just want Nancy to come home and be safe.”

At the time of Daley’s detainment, his attorney, Chris Scileppi, confirmed to PEOPLE that Daley was the subject of two search warrants issued and served on Feb. 13, 2026.

“Daley and his mother were both detained by law enforcement while the search warrants were being executed,” Scileppi said in a statement.

“Neither Daley nor his mother were arrested in connection to this case or any other. Daley has no link whatsoever to Nancy Guthrie and has no information related to her kidnapping. Like the entire Tucson community, both Daley and his mother are hopeful that Nancy will be returned to her family unharmed,” Scileppi added.

The elderly mother of three was taken from her Tucson, Ariz., home in the early morning hours of Sunday, Feb. 1, police said.

Nancy’s family called 911 at 12:03 p.m. on Feb. 1 when she failed to join friends to watch a virtual church service that morning.

Law enforcement launched a massive investigation into Nancy’s disappearance, saying they believed she was taken against her will.

On Tues., Feb. 10, authorities released surveillance photos and video footage of a masked man carrying a gun on Nancy’s front porch in the early morning hours of Feb. 1.

Related Stories

Sheriff’s Department ‘Refocusing Resources’ in Nancy Guthrie Case as Search Approaches 1-Month Mark

New Ring Camera Footage Near Nancy Guthrie’s Home Shows Car Speeding Down the Road Minutes After Her Abduction

The FBI Phoenix office shared additional details describing the suspect as “a male, approximately 5’9” – 5’10” tall, with an average build. In the video, he is wearing a black, 25-liter ‘Ozark Trail Hiker Pack’ backpack” that may have been purchased at Walmart.

Assailant seen at Nancy Guthrie’s front door on Feb. 1, 2026.Pima County Sheriff’s Department

The identification of the backpack was one of the most promising leads authorities had received, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at the time.

Backpack seen on the armed assailant at Nancy Guthrie’s house may have been purchased at Walmart.FBI Phoenix/X

Investigators also disclosed that Guthrie’s doorbell camera was disconnected at 1:47 a.m., local time. The camera detected a dark figure walking toward the house at 2:12 a.m. Sixteen minutes later, at 2:28 a.m., Guthrie’s pacemaker was disconnected from the pacemaker app on her cellphone, authorities previously said.

In late February, after investigators asked residents near Nancy’s house for doorbell camera footage in hopes of unearthing any clues as to her disappearance, a couple who lives 2.5 miles away released footage obtained by Fox News Digital of a car speeding down the road just minutes after police believe Nancy was taken from her house.

One of the videos the couple released was recorded at 2:36 a.m. on Feb. 1, about eight minutes after Nancy’s pacemaker last synced with her iPhone, according to the sheriff’s timeline.

At the time, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News and NBC News they were aware of the newly released Ring camera footage, but didn’t say whether it provided any leads in the case.

The sheriff’s office previously requested Ring camera footage from homes within a two-mile radius dating back to Jan. 1 with a focus on the time windows of Jan. 11 between 9 p.m. and midnight and Jan. 31 between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. The home that submitted this footage was outside of that radius and time requests.

Savannah Guthrie, her mother Nancy Guthrie, and siblings; Savannah and her mother.Savannah Guthrie/Instagram (2)

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for  PEOPLE‘s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

On Feb. 16, Savannah released another video saying the Guthrie family was offering up to a $1 million reward for any information leading to Nancy’s recovery. She said the family is also donating $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The FBI’s reward of $100,000 remains active.