Nancy Guthrie Case: Arizona Man Detained and Released as Person of Interest in Investigation Seeks $2.5 Million Over Negligence, Defamation and More

Carlos Palazuelos, an Arizona man briefly detained as a person of interest in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, has filed a $2.5 million notice of claim against Pima County. The filing is a mandatory precursor to a lawsuit against government entities in Arizona.

Filed by a Phoenix law firm, the claim names the Pima County Sheriff's Department, Sheriff Chris Nanos and Detective Earl Gieron. It alleges assault, false arrest, negligence, defamation and false imprisonment.

On February 10, 2026, Palazuelos was driving for DoorDash when he was pulled over at gunpoint. He claimed he was handcuffed and held without probable cause for seven to eight hours before being released without charges.

The filing states that the arrest was conducted in a highly public manner to "damage Carlos' reputation" and shift public criticism away from the department's handling of the case. Palazuelos stated he had never even heard of Nancy, the 84-year-old missing mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, before his arrest.

The collective legal claim actually totals $3.25 million. In addition to Carlos' $2.5 million, his brother-in-law, Daniel Maddox, is seeking $500,000 for wrongful detention, and the homeowner, Josefina Maddox, is seeking $250,000 for extensive property damage to her home during the execution of the search warrant.

The legal threat comes as the search for Nancy reaches its six-month mark. She was abducted from her home outside Tucson on February 1, 2026.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department recently confirmed another dead end after testing on hair samples recovered from the Guthrie home failed to yield any suspects.

Sheriff Nanos stated that Carlos has not yet been entirely ruled out. However, his defense team maintains that the original search warrant was based on "shoddy police work" and anonymous tips. The sheriff's office has 60 days to respond to the notice before an official lawsuit can be filed in court.

Beyond the newly filed $3.25 million notice of claim regarding Nancy's case, Sheriff Nanos is navigating several concurrent legal threats.

In May 2026, the Pima County Board of Supervisors officially voted to refer allegations of possible perjury against Sheriff Nanos to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office for formal review.

In March 2026, a Pima County Jail inmate named Christopher Michael Marx filed a $1.35 million civil rights lawsuit against Sheriff Nanos and the department in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, alleging cruel and unusual punishment.

The complaint claimed jail officials failed to protect him from harm and violated the Arizona State Constitution's Declaration of Rights regarding medical protocols and containment safety while he was in custody.

The ACLU of Arizona has an active lawsuit against Sheriff Nanos over federal immigration collaboration.

While the sheriff has publicly stated his department does not enforce federal immigration law, the ACLU of Arizona took legal action to force the release of departmental records. The ACLU accuses the sheriff's department of frequently and secretly collaborating with the U.S. Border Patrol between 2021 and 2023.

Driven by public backlash over his work-history misrepresentations and his handling of the Guthrie case, political opponents launched an aggressive recall-petition campaign against the sheriff.

While organizers successfully gathered over 30,000 signatures, the effort ultimately fell short of the legally required minimum by its late-July 2026 deadline. Though he escaped the recall ballot, the campaign severely strained the department's public standing.

Sheriff Nanos recently assured that he is “positive” Nancy's disappearance will be solved and is being handled properly, after a desperate plea from Savannah was posted on Instagram.