Nancy Guthrie's disappearance has taken another strange turn in Tucson, Arizona, after police arrested two YouTubers and cited a third near the missing woman's home on 8 June, amid allegations of public nuisance, obstruction and a so-called 'pee tent' set-up. The arrests have dragged fresh attention to the four-month search for Guthrie, whose case remains unresolved.
The news came after weeks of mounting activity around the Catalina Foothills neighbourhood, where true-crime streamers had been gathering, filming and livestreaming from the area as the investigation continued. According to local reports and police accounts, repeated warnings had already been issued about blocked roadways and other disruption before deputies moved in.
Nancy Guthrie And The Arrests
Alexander Zabel, who goes by Alex Zabel and runs the YouTube channel CriminalNetwork, was arrested on suspicion of obstructing a highway or thoroughfare and public nuisance. Troy Bradshaw, known online as DAA JUICE, was arrested on suspicion of public nuisance, while Damian Todd Enderle, who runs 857 Tucson, was cited and released for public nuisance.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department said the arrests followed complaints about blocked roads, trespassing and ongoing neighbourhood disruption. A spokesperson said warnings had gone unheeded, and added that video evidence reviewed by the department showed one of the arrestees urinating in public behind a makeshift tent.
That detail is the bit that has given the story its bizarre, almost grubby edge. Court documents reported by local outlets allege that Zabel set up the makeshift outdoor tent near Guthrie's home, while police described the behaviour as disruptive and inappropriate.
Nancy Guthrie And The Online Fallout
The arrests have split the online true-crime crowd in the bluntest way possible. Supporters of the streamers argue that independent creators keep attention on cases that might otherwise fade, especially when families are still waiting for answers and the official trail has gone cold. Critics, meanwhile, say the line between public-interest coverage and plain intrusion was crossed long ago.
Zabel's channel, CriminalNetwork, is reported to have more than 22,000 subscribers, while DAA JUICE has roughly 19,000. Both had been posting regularly from Tucson as interest in the case grew, turning Guthrie's neighbourhood into an increasingly crowded and awkward patch of ground for police, residents and online onlookers alike.
There is also an awkward institutional backdrop to all this. Fox News reported that the Pima County sheriff, Chris Nanos, was filmed in 2024 being stopped at Tucson International Airport after an undeclared handgun was found in his bag, though he was not charged. That footage has fed complaints from critics who see the department's crackdown as heavy-handed, even as officials insist they are enforcing local law.
A department spokesperson told Fox News that the arrests came after numerous complaints and repeated warnings, and said Sheriff Nanos would no longer tolerate behaviour that disrupts the community or violates the law. The same report said the county attorney's office declined to comment because of ongoing litigation.
For now, Nancy Guthrie remains missing and the case remains unsolved. The search has drawn intense public attention for months, but the latest turn has shifted the focus, at least temporarily, from Guthrie herself to the odd, messy ecosystem that has built up around her disappearance. That is where things stand, with police still investigating and the internet doing what it always does when a mystery becomes content.
