TUCSON, AZ — A man detained and released during the Nancy Guthrie disappearance investigation, along with two family members, is seeking $3.25 million from Pima County.
A Phoenix law firm filed a notice of claim against the Pima County Sheriff's Department, Sheriff Chris Nanos, and Detective Earl Gieron on behalf of three people who say they were wrongfully targeted during the investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie.
The claim, filed this week, seeks a combined $3.25 million on behalf of Carlos Palazuelos, Josefina Maddox, and Daniel Maddox.
Carlos Palazuelos is seeking $2.5 million. The claim says he was arrested at gunpoint on February 10, 2026, and held for approximately seven to eight hours before being released without charges. Daniel Maddox is seeking $500,000. He was handcuffed and held under armed guard outside the family home during the same incident according to the claim. Josefina Maddox, the homeowner, is seeking $250,000 for property damage the claim says deputies caused while executing a search warrant at her home.
The law firm Robbins Curtin Millea & Showalter filed the claim on the family's behalf.
"Like he himself had been kidnapped"
According to the claim, deputies followed Carlos before stopping him. When he pulled over to determine why he was being followed, officers pointed guns at him and placed him under arrest. He was held in the back of a patrol vehicle while deputies executed a search warrant at the Rio Rico home.
The claim states Carlos was asked to provide his name, date of birth, and Social Security number, and that deputies seized his cell phone and driver's license. He was released later that day without being charged.
He spoke exclusively at the scene with ABC15.
The claim describes the experience as leaving Carlos feeling "as though he himself had been kidnapped." It also states that since his detention, Carlos and his family have been followed and photographed by members of the public, which the claim attributes to his public association with the Guthrie investigation.
Carlos previously spoke exclusively with ABC15 about the impact on his family.
"People taking pictures of us or following us. Like yesterday, we went out dashing and we got home and there was this red truck following us. This morning it was there too, so it's been kind of scary for me and for my wife, my kids and everybody," Carlos said.
Warrant based on "false or baseless evidence," claim alleges
The notice of claim alleges the search warrant was obtained through a secret application based on "false or baseless evidence" and that the PCSD "lacked probable cause to believe that Carlos had committed any crime" at all times.
The warrant application remains under seal according to the notice of claim.
The claim also alleges that on the day of the arrest, Sheriff Nanos posted on X that deputies had "detained a subject during a traffic stop south of Tucson" who was "being questioned in connection to the Nancy Guthrie investigation." PCSD personnel also told media that Carlos was a "person of interest" in the case, according to the claim.
The claim alleges those statements were intended to communicate to the public that Carlos was a suspect in Guthrie's disappearance, and that Sheriff Nanos and the PCSD have since refused to retract them or publicly clear Carlos' name.
Attorney Jesse Showalter said the family wants accountability.
"And now they're living day-to-day, they're living in fear, and so the first thing that I'd like to see is Sheriff Nanos and the Pima County Sheriff's Office come forward and say, 'Carlos, this was a mistake. Carlos is not a person of interest. He is not an investigative lead. We messed up. We need to see some accountability obviously,'” Showalter previously told ABC15.
Under Arizona law, the settlement offers must remain open for 60 days before they can be deemed rejected.
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