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Nancy Guthrie update: Human remains found in Tucson desert; Pima County sheriff responds
PCSD deputies are investigating human remains found in a desert area.
Pima County Sheriff's Department Search & Rescue deputies are responding to reports of human remains found in a desert area, but authorities say there is no indication so far that they are connected to the Nancy Guthrie investigation.
Remains found in desert area
PCSD Search & Rescue deputies are responding to reports of human remains found in a desert area near West Ajo Way and South La Cholla Boulevard. The remains appear to have been at the location for an extended period of time.
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No connection to Nancy Guthrie case so far
At this time, there is no indication the remains are connected to the Nancy Guthrie investigation, as per PCSD. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.
The Nancy Guthrie case remains active months after the 84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson, Arizona home on February 1. Investigators have continued examining the case as a possible kidnapping for ransom, while Sheriff Chris Nanos has defended the department’s handling of the investigation.
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Earlier human remains discovery near Tucson
This is not the first time human remains have been found near Tucson during the search for Nancy Guthrie. On Thursday, August 13, human remains were discovered in a wash off South Santa Cruz Lane, near Interstate 10 and Silverlake Road. The Tucson Police Department said the remains were mostly bones and had been at the location for an extended period, according to KOLD/13 News.
Fox News reporter Matt Finn later said a federal source confirmed that the remains were not Nancy Guthrie. He wrote that a federal source told him, “this is not Nancy Guthrie.”
As of August 15, the remains were being investigated as a separate case, and officials had not yet identified the person.
The Ransom notes sent in Nancy Guthrie's case
On August 1, six months into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance, two ransom notes sent to the media and PCSD were released to the public.
The first note, sent February 2, a day after 84-year-old Nancy was reported missing, allegedly demanded a bitcoin payment for her return: “We have your mother Nancy. She is safe but scared. She will be held for ransom and once payment is received she will be released unharmed.”
A second note, sent four days later, claimed Nancy had died of a heart condition due to stress and lack of medication, saying she was "buried in nature."
PCSD explained why they released the notes now. "We just saw what was being said, and we felt like we needed to put something out that's really accurate, and this was the time," the sheriff said, adding that investigators hoped details in the notes "might jar someone" to recognize the writing style. "So we hope that by releasing the actual note we'll get some response from the community."
Savannah Guthrie and her family continue to seek information about Nancy Guthrie’s whereabouts, offering a $1 million reward for information that could help bring her home.
