A man has been detained for questioning in relation to the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC’s Today show host Savannah Guthrie.

The man was detained south of Tucson in Florida, according to ABC News, and authorities are preparing to search a location associated with him.

The development comes after the FBI released black-and-white surveillance photos of a potential suspect outside the 84-year-old woman’s home on the morning she went missing.

It was not immediately clear whether the man detained for questioning was the same person seen in the doorbell camera images.

The FBI did not comment and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said it was not releasing any information at this time.

Nancy was last seen on January 31 when she arrived home just before 10pm after having dinner with her family.

The following morning, her family realised she was missing when she failed to arrive for church just before midday.

On February 3, US media first reported the existence of an unverified ransom note, which was passed on to the FBI.

The following day, Savannah led a family video on social media with an emotional plea for their mother’s abductors.

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Days later, the family released another video stating “we will pay”.

The ransom has been reported to be $US6m.

“Someone out there recognizes this person. We believe she is still out there. Bring her home,” Savannah wrote in an Instagram post following the release of the surveillance photos.

– With NBC