The FBI has dramatically expanded its search for missing Tucson woman Nancy Guthrie, with agents scouring multiple roadways in the Catalina Foothills area Tuesday morning as the investigation enters its tenth day.
“This morning, numerous FBI agents are conducting an extensive search along multiple roadways in the Catalina Foothills area related to the Nancy Guthrie investigation,” FBI Phoenix announced on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Investigation Intensifies
The search comes amid a flurry of investigative activity that has gripped the Tucson area. Law enforcement resources have been stretched thin as the Pima County Sheriff’s Department has fielded an overwhelming volume of tips — nearly 18,000 calls since February 1, with more than 4,000 pouring in during just the last 24 hours.
“Several hundred detectives and agents are currently assigned to this case, and you will continue to see increased law enforcement activity throughout Pima County as the investigation expands,” the Sheriff’s Department stated in a recent update.
What’s driving this intensification? The investigation appears to be following multiple leads simultaneously as authorities race against time to locate the missing woman.
Rio Rico Search and Detention
In a potentially significant development, investigators executed a search warrant at a home in Rio Rico, Arizona, on Monday, February 10. During the operation, a delivery driver identified only as Carlos Palazuelos was briefly detained and questioned before being released, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
Carlos described the moment he was taken into custody while simply doing his job. “They were following me,” he told ABC Phoenix affiliate station KNXV. “And once I saw they were following me, I pulled over. They didn’t even have to [make] a traffic stop. I got out of the car and they arrested me as soon as I got out of the car.”
After searching his vehicle and questioning him about Guthrie’s disappearance, authorities ultimately let him go. The detention appears to have stemmed from a tip that Guthrie might be inside his mother-in-law’s Rio Rico home.
The mother-in-law, who hasn’t been identified, was cooperative with investigators. “I told them, ‘You can go in and search my house,'” she explained to reporters. “There’s nobody there.”
Community Response
The scale of the search operation has rattled the typically quiet Catalina Foothills community. Residents have reported seeing convoys of unmarked vehicles and agents in tactical gear combing through brush along roadways and examining drainage areas.
Despite the massive law enforcement presence and thousands of tips, authorities have remained tight-lipped about potential suspects or whether they believe Guthrie is still alive. The FBI has emphasized that the investigation remains active and evolving.
For now, the search continues across multiple fronts as investigators pursue every available lead in what has become one of the most resource-intensive missing person cases in recent Arizona history.
