Arizona man detained in Guthrie case now faces drug, weapons charges

For Tucson residents following the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the latest development involves a man who was detained during an earlier law enforcement operation near her Catalina Foothills home, then released without charges. Luke Daly, also identified in court documents as Luke Daley, now faces unrelated drug and weapons charges in Pima County. Authorities have not accused him of involvement in Guthrie’s disappearance, and his attorney has said he has no connection to the case.

Daly, 37, was booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Complex last week, according to KVOA. An interim complaint says investigators searched his home and found a bag containing a white powdery substance that tested positive for crack cocaine. The complaint lists charges of possession of a narcotic and misconduct involving weapons. The report does not indicate that the newly filed allegations are tied to Guthrie’s disappearance.

Daly had drawn public attention because of a February law enforcement operation that included a traffic stop at a Culver’s restaurant near Guthrie’s home. He was detained for several hours and later released. A separate account described a larger operation on Feb. 13, involving Pima County sheriff’s deputies and the FBI, with numerous law enforcement vehicles at a Catalina Foothills residence and others around a Range Rover at the nearby restaurant. Daly and his mother were detained while search warrants were carried out, but both were released without charges.

The timing and details in the available accounts include references to multiple searches. One interim complaint reported that officers searched Daly’s home on Sept. 30, while other court records and statements from his attorney described two search warrants served on Feb. 13, 2026. A Range Rover was searched at the scene, sealed with evidence tape and towed, although it was not immediately clear whether the vehicle belonged to Daly. A neighbor said Daly’s Dodge Charger had already been totaled in an unrelated crash and towed by his insurance provider.

Daly’s attorney, Chris Scileppi, rejected any suggestion that his client was connected to Guthrie’s case. In a statement provided to 12 News, Scileppi said Daly and his mother had been detained during execution of the warrants and released without charges. He said Daly had no link to Guthrie’s kidnapping and no information about what happened to her, adding that the family, like the wider Tucson community, hoped she would be returned safely. Scileppi declined further comment, as did Kayla Day’s attorney, Nicholas Brereton.

Court records show Daly has faced unrelated criminal allegations before the latest booking. According to filings, Marana police arrested him on May 15, 2025, in a Walmart parking lot on allegations involving drug sales, drug paraphernalia and possession of a firearm by someone with a prior felony conviction. Officers said they observed signs of suspected drug transactions involving the vehicle he was driving.

A probable cause affidavit said police found a used syringe with heroin like residue in the vehicle. A search allegedly turned up heroin paraphernalia, a 9 millimeter pistol with a loaded magazine, about 1,000 opioid pills, Suboxone strips and $1,366 in cash. Daly appeared in court Jan. 12 and was out of custody, with his jury trial moved from Feb. 24 to May 19, according to court documents.

Kayla Day, 32, has also been named in the unrelated criminal proceedings, though authorities have not accused her of involvement in Guthrie’s disappearance. She was arrested at the same Walmart location on May 15, 2025, and her complaint said she was with a male driver. She faces drug and weapons allegations connected to that incident. Records also describe a separate March 19, 2025, arrest after officers allegedly found her unconscious in a vehicle with drug paraphernalia in plain view. The complaint cited opioid pills, a white crystalline substance, black tar and evidence of heroin use.

Day was already being held at the Pima County jail during the February operation because of allegations that she had missed court appearances. A warrant for her arrest was issued in January, and records listed her as held without bail. She declined transport to a Feb. 18 court date, which was moved to Feb. 27. The sheriff’s department was ordered to transport her by any means necessary. Her attorney declined to comment.

The attention on Daly and Day has come as investigators continue searching for answers in Guthrie’s suspected abduction. Guthrie is believed to have been taken from her Catalina Foothills home at about 2:30 a.m. Feb. 1, roughly two miles from Daly’s residence. Authorities have described a masked suspect as approximately 5 feet, 9 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches tall, with an average build, a black Ozark Trail backpack and what appears to be a holstered pistol.

Investigators have said DNA recovered from a glove near the scene did not match anyone in the FBI’s CODIS database. That result does not establish who left the glove, but it also has not publicly connected the evidence to Daly or Day. The Pima County Sheriff’s Office has declined to provide additional details about the February activity, including the status of vehicles taken during the operation. For now, the only publicly reported case against Daly is the separate drug and weapons prosecution, while the search for Guthrie continues.