Fact Check: Was Evan Kilgore detained in connection with Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance?

A user shared a snapshot of the masked man released by the FBI alongside a driver’s license image of Evan Kilgore, gaining significant attention
Following the detention, rumors circulated on social media claiming that political commentator Evan Kilgore had been arrested (@savannahguthrie/Instagram, @EvanAKilgore/X)
Following the detention, rumors circulated on social media claiming that political commentator Evan Kilgore had been arrested (@savannahguthrie/Instagram, @EvanAKilgore/X)

TUCSON, ARIZONA: On Tuesday, February 10, a person of interest, described as a man, not a family member, was detained is being questioned by authorities, including the Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI, regarding Nancy Guthrie's disappearance.

Following this, a rumor circulated on social media claiming that the person detained in connection with Nancy Guthrie's disappearance is political commentator Evan Kilgore. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.

Claim: Evan Kilgore detained in connection with Nancy Guthrie's disappearance

An X account came up with a post on Tuesday and claimed that the person detained in connection with Nancy Guthrie's disappearance was someone named Evan Kilgore.

The post read, "BREAKING: An individual has allegedly been detained in connection to the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie." The post also had snapshot of the footage of the masked man released by the FBI, along with the image of a driver's license of  Evan A Kilgore.



The post on X garnered more than 13,000 views at the time of filing this story.

Similarly, another X post read, "The suspect in custody is allegedly a 32 year old white male named Evan Kilgore."



Interestingly, CNN interviewed a woman on Tuesday night who said police broke into her house and handcuffed his son. She said, "They broke my door. They went inside. My son was playing on his Nintendo. He had his headphones on. They put him in handcuffs and took him outside."



Fact check: False, rumor originated from a parody account

The claim that the person detained in connection with Nancy Guthrie's disappearance is Evan Kilgore is false, as there is no credible evidence to back the claim.

A person of interest was detained and is being questioned by authorities. However, no charges have been filed, and the person is not officially a suspect yet. Authorities have not released the detainee's identity, and there is no evidence linking Evan Kilgore to the case.

Moreover, searches on search engines, such as Google and Bing, also showed no reports claiming the person detained was Evans. The X post was made by @BayHarborGroyp which is a parody account as per their bio. 

In an aerial view, investigators walk through a crowd of media gathered outside of the home of Nancy Guthrie on February 8, 2026 in Tucson, Arizona. Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of U.S. journalist and television host Savannah Guthrie, went missing from her home in the early hours of February 1. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
In an aerial view, investigators walk through a crowd of media gathered outside of the home of Nancy Guthrie on February 8, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

Nancy Guthrie remains missing as of February 10, with the investigation ongoing and a $50,000 FBI reward offered for information that would lead to her recovery or the perpetrators' conviction.

The 84-year-old was reported missing on February 1, after she failed to join friends for their regular virtual church service viewing. After she didn't appear, Guthrie's friend told her daughter, Annie, prompting the family to check on her.

Meanwhile, authorities, including the Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI, believe this to be a suspected abduction/kidnapping.

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