Two men to file multimillion-dollar wrongful arrest lawsuit in Nancy Guthrie disappearance case

Two men detained in the early days of the investigation into the disappearance of NBC Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother said they plan to sue the Pima County Sheriff's Office for wrongful arrest as the high-profile case reaches the six-month mark with no arrests or major breakthroughs.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, disappeared from her Tucson, Arizona, home on Feb. 1. Authorities believe she was kidnapped, but no trace of her has been found despite an extensive investigation with a number of leads, including blood splatter left behind at the scene where she was allegedly taken.

Carlos Palazuelos and Daniel Maddox filed a notice of claim Monday against Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and a detective involved in the case, according to Tucson's KVOA. The filing, a required precursor to a lawsuit under Arizona law, seeks a combined $3.25 million in damages for alleged wrongful arrest, property damage, and reputational harm.

Palazuelos, who was detained and questioned on Feb. 10 before being released without charges, is seeking $2.5 million.

The claim alleges investigators "ransacked" his home and that his detention "caused lasting physical, emotional, and reputational harm."

Maddox, who was handcuffed outside his mother's home while investigators searched the property, was released without charges. He is seeking $500,000, while his mother, Josefina Maddox, is seeking an additional $250,000 for alleged damage to her home.

The notice alleges Nanos fueled public suspicion by posting on social media that "the subject is currently being questioned in connection to the Nancy Guthrie investigation."

The Guthrie family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to her recovery, and the FBI has added a $100,000 reward for information that conclusively advances the investigation.