The man detained Tuesday and questioned in relation to the Nancy Guthrie investigation has spoken out … telling reporters at his doorstep in Rio Rico, Arizona he didn’t even know who Nancy was until he was pulled over by police.

You can tell how shocked the man, who only wants to be identified as Carlos, is by the situation … he tells reporters he noticed authorities following him on the road near his residence and stopped driving on his own accord. He says he was immediately detained — for hours — but was only asked basic identifying questions and about his whereabouts as of late.

Carlos, a delivery driver for GLS and DoordDash, claims he was kept mostly in the dark during his time with authorities but insisted he has nothing to do with the crime and doesn’t even know who Nancy’s famous daughter, Savannah Guthrie, is because he doesn’t keep up with the news. He says he felt like he was being kidnapped himself.

He also accuses police of breaking down the front door and damaging the garage door of his home — where he lives with his mother-in-law and wife — when they entered to search it earlier in the day. Bottom line … he wants his name cleared.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Tuesday evening they were conducting a court-authorized search at the residence, which is situated less than 15 miles from the Port of Nogales, a major U.S.-Mexico border crossing. Carlos’ mother-in-law told reporters at the time he had no involvement in Nancy’s disappearance.

As of Wednesday morning, Carlos is free to continue on with his day-to-day life, and the investigation continues. DoorDash released a statement Wednesday night saying, in part … “We have reached out to law enforcement and are ready to support their critical investigation in any way we can.”

The shocking development comes hours after we broke the news there was activity in the Bitcoin account listed in the first ransom note that was sent. As we told you, the abductor demanded $6 million in ransom and in return, promised Nancy would be brought back to her family within 12 hours.

Savannah and her family have confirmed via online videos to Nancy’s kidnapper they’re willing to work with them … but both ransom deadlines have passed with no solution.

Earlier Tuesday, the FBI released the first images and video of Nancy’s alleged abductor … showing the masked person at her front door and trying to get out of view from her Nest camera.

Nancy was reported missing over a week ago on February 1 … hours after her family dropped her off at home following a meal together.