Three months after Nancy Guthrie disappeared, a true crime streamer discovered unrelated human remains 11 miles from her home.
Tucson police identified human remains found near North Craycroft Road and East River Road, but quickly determined they may be “prehistoric” in nature. Police responded at 10 a.m. local time on May 7.
“This will be a prehistoric anthropological study,” said Tucson Police Department spokesman James Horton. “This is not a criminal investigation.”
Horton said Tucson police were assisted by the University of Arizona Department of Anthropology and the Pima County Coroner’s Office.
The bones were discovered by a streamer who runs a YouTube channel called AJDoubleU News. The discovery comes as the investigation into 84-year-old Guthrie’s disappearance has been underway for more than three months. The Pima County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains active.
Guthrie, the mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing from her home in the Catalina Foothills area north of Tucson, Arizona, on February 1 and has not been seen since.
What was the breakthrough in the Guthrie case?
Guthrie was last seen on the night of January 31st, after a relative gave her a ride home. She was reported missing the next day when she failed to show up at a friend’s house to watch a virtual church service.
There were several breakthroughs in this case, as well as some deadlocks.
Early in the investigation, investigators determined that she was likely abducted in the middle of the night.
Investigators said blood droplets found on the ground in front of Guthrie’s front door belonged to the 84-year-old.
The DNA found on her property was mixed, meaning it came from multiple people. That makes it difficult to access the national database, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in an interview aired on February 21.
The first major development in the case came on February 10, when the FBI released footage and photos of a masked man wearing black gloves tampering with Guthrie’s front door camera.
The FBI estimated the man to be between 5 feet 9 inches tall and 5 feet 10 inches tall, with an average build. He was carrying a black 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack, sold exclusively at Walmart.
In March, authorities discovered through DNA testing that a black glove believed to belong to Guthrie’s kidnapper, found two miles from her home, belonged to a restaurant employee unrelated to the case.
NewsNation reported in April that the FBI was analyzing new evidence, including hair found in Guthrie’s home, according to people close to the investigation.
The Sheriff’s Office addressed the DNA analysis process on April 16.
“The commercial laboratory we utilize in Florida continues to share information with the FBI laboratory and other partner laboratories across the United States. DNA analysis remains ongoing.”
Contributors: Richard Ruelas, Stephanie Murray, Perry Vandell, arizona republic
Sarah Lapidus covers Southern Arizona politics and issues for the Arizona Republic. Please contact sarah.lapidus@usatodayco.com.
