Nancy Guthrie Sheriff Makes Cryptic Statement About Previously Detained Men

In February, two men were arrested and brought in for questioning about a possible connection to Nancy Guthrie‘s disappearance. And while they were released from police custody, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos says the men are not completely in the clear.

“Nobody’s completely ruled out [as a suspect],” Nanos told ABC 15. “We took information, developed it for a warrant from a judge, a magistrate, and we served that warrant. All that information we gathered is gathered, and because we didn’t make an arrest or we released some people, doesn’t mean they’re cleared. It just means we don’t have enough now to hold you.”

Nanos confirmed that the two men were released and given their property back, but noted that things could change at any point. “With the evidence we’ve obtained, who knows … a day from now, a month from now, someone might call in and say, ‘You missed this,'” he explained. “And guess what? You go back.”

Sheriff Nanos says the two men detained and then released in the first month of the Nancy Guthrie investigation have NOT been cleared.@abc15 pic.twitter.com/GNpsW62KEl

— Ford Hatchett (@FordHatchett) July 30, 2026

The sheriff was asked if he and his team are “still actively looking into” the previously-arrested men. He replied somewhat cryptically, “I couldn’t talk about that.”

The February arrests were made at two separate traffic stops. The first man, Carlos Palazuelos, was detained about an hour south of Guthrie’s home on February 10, followed by the second unnamed person on February 13 near her neighborhood.

August 1 is the six-month anniversary of the day Guthrie was reported missing and there have still been no suspects named. However, Nanos has expressed his optimism that the case will be solved eventually.

“Somebody in our community, somebody out in this world, knows something,” he told ABC News on July 30. “Call us, tell us, give us that information. Somebody knows where Nancy’s at. We need their help.”