The hunt for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, took an unexpected turn this month when a local YouTuber stumbled on human remains in the Sonoran Desert, but experts say the find has nothing to do with the suspected abduction case that has gripped Tucson.
The remains were found less than 5 miles from Guthrie’s home in the Catalina Foothills, where investigators believe she was kidnapped in the early hours of Feb. 1. A local YouTuber, AJ Wysopal, came across an exposed bone May 7 while conducting an amateur search, prompting police to respond and secure the area.
Authorities quickly determined the remains were human. They also determined they were old, very old, and unrelated to Guthrie’s disappearance.
James T. Watson, an anthropologist at the University of Arizona who responded at the scene, told Fox News Digital the discovery involved a skeleton, not just a single bone as early chatter online suggested. Based on evidence at the site, Watson said the person was likely buried between several hundred and 1,000 years ago.
“Whether it is a thousand years old or 50 years old, these are human remains,” Watson said, urging anyone who finds similar remains during searches to treat them with dignity.
Watson said the surrounding context helped date the remains and identify them as Native American. He noted a known archaeological site nearby and said ceramics recovered at the scene match examples associated with that area.
UPDATE: According to a law enforcement source, the remains are considered “prehistorical” and not connected to the Nancy Guthrie investigation.
They will be collected by researchers for additional analysis.
Tucson Police statement:
“The bone found near Craycroft and… https://t.co/NjqkvHMJNC
— Michael Ruiz (@mikerreports) May 7, 2026
“All of that contextual evidence allowed me to be pretty sure that this individual was in fact Native American,” he said. “The ceramics really sort of drove home that point.”
The remains have since been transferred to the Tohono O’odham Nation, a tribe whose reservation lies west of Tucson. Watson said no additional research or testing is expected.
The grim discovery also highlighted a hard truth about Arizona’s desert: People, and history, are often hidden in plain sight. Watson said the Sonoran Desert’s unforgiving terrain, combined with erosion and development, can expose human remains from many eras.
“The desert there is a pretty harsh environment, and obviously it’s been settled for hundreds, thousands of years,” he said.
Powerful ephemeral rivers, typically dry channels that can flood violently after rain, can rip through washes and expose what has been buried for centuries. Watson said new real estate development can do the same by disturbing long-untouched land.
The region’s proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border adds another factor. Watson said he has also been called to scenes involving migrants who died after attempting to cross in dangerous conditions.
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“There are literally probably hundreds of bodies that are discovered every year out in the desert,” he said.
That mix of rugged geography and sheer open space makes the desert both unforgiving and vast, Watson added.
“So there [are] a lot of places that an individual could get lost or pass away, or hide a body,” he said. “I think…as people start to poke into some of these crevices that don’t normally get poked into across the desert, they’re likely to find more individuals.”
Meanwhile, the investigation into Guthrie’s disappearance remains active. A combined reward of more than $1.2 million is being offered for information leading to her location, and her family has urged anyone with tips to call 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Tucson’s 88-Crime hotline at 520-882-7463.
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