YouTuber Arrested Outside Missing Nancy Guthrie’s Tucson Home as Investigation Continues

TUCSON, Ariz. — The Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) has arrested a YouTube personality outside the Tucson-area home of missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, while the investigation into her disappearance remains active and ongoing.

According to a statement released by the sheriff’s department on June 11, deputies arrested 54-year-old Alexander Zabel Jr. shortly before 5 p.m. outside Guthrie’s residence in the Catalina Foothills.

Authorities said they had received multiple complaints about Zabel’s behavior in the neighborhood. At the time of the arrest, he was reportedly livestreaming from outside the home.

“PCSD had received several complaints regarding Mr. Zabel’s behavior,” the department said in a statement posted on X. During the encounter, deputies made contact with Zabel and a sergeant was knocked to the ground during the arrest process.

Zabel was taken into custody and booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Complex. He faces charges of resisting arrest, a Class 6 felony, and public nuisance, a Class 2 misdemeanor.

Local reports also indicate that Zabel, who operates the CriminalNetwork YouTube channel, had been arrested three days earlier along with two other YouTubers on suspicion of obstruction of a highway or thoroughfare and public nuisance.

The sheriff’s department has since announced stricter enforcement measures in the neighborhood following complaints from residents.

Nancy Guthrie Investigation Remains Active

Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, disappeared from her Tucson home on February 1, 2026.

Investigators quickly classified the case as a criminal investigation after bloodstains found near the entrance of her home were confirmed through forensic testing to belong to Nancy Guthrie.

According to authorities, a masked and armed individual disconnected her doorbell camera at approximately 1:47 a.m. on February 1. Investigators also determined that her bedside pacemaker monitor missed its scheduled transmission later that morning.

Law enforcement has said the masked person captured on video remains the primary focus of the investigation.

Ransom Demands and FBI Involvement

The case has involved multiple ransom demands seeking $6 million in Bitcoin and referencing Savannah Guthrie. Authorities have stated that deadlines contained in those messages passed without any verified proof that Nancy Guthrie was alive.

Investigators have also dealt with fraudulent ransom attempts, resulting in at least one arrest for extortion unrelated to the actual disappearance.

Evidence collected during the investigation, including doorbell footage recovered through Google Nest systems and DNA evidence from the scene, has been sent to the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for advanced forensic analysis.

Border Search Triggered by Anonymous Tip

In a recent development, volunteers with the Mexican search collective Buscando Corazones conducted a search near the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales after receiving an anonymous tip claiming Nancy Guthrie’s remains may have been buried in the area.

Responding to reports of the search, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said it is aware of the information but has not yet been contacted by Mexican authorities.

“We are aware of reports regarding an anonymous tip related to the Nancy Guthrie investigation that was provided to a group in Mexico,” the department said. “This investigation remains active and is ongoing, and we will continue to follow up on any credible information.”

Reward Increased to $1.2 Million

Authorities continue to seek information related to the disappearance and suspected kidnapping. The sheriff’s department has launched a portal requesting residents in the Catalina Foothills area to submit any surveillance footage or dashcam recordings from the night Nancy Guthrie vanished.

The reward for information leading to her safe return has grown to $1.2 million.

Investigators have also publicly stated that members of the Guthrie family have been cleared and that efforts remain focused on identifying the masked individual seen outside Nancy Guthrie’s home before her disappearance.