Authorities unsure human remains in desert belong to Guthrie

Brutal desert conditions can make mortal remains difficult to identify, authorities say

Published Aug 24, 2026  •  2 minute read

The Sonoran Desert Photo by Ernest Doroszuk /Toronto Sun

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Speculation has grown that human remains discovered in the desert near Tucson, Ariz. belong to Nancy Guthrie, kidnapping victim and 84-year-old mother of NBC News‘ and Today‘s Savannah Guthrie. But while authorities haven’t fully ruled out a connection, they said there was “no indication” the remains are hers.

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Grisly reality

Last week, human remains were found 15 minutes from where Guthrie lived, sparking the speculation. But authorities were quiet about how they came to their determination, when the remains were found, or who found them. According to the U.S.’ National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), Pina County, where the remains were discovered, ranks among the highest in the U.S. for unidentified human remains.

Approximately 150 sets of human remains are found in Pima County every year, chief medical examiner Greg Hess told CNN. Tucson’s county seat stores 300 sets of human remains more than Los Angeles County, which is home to 9 million more people, According to NamUs. Experts say the majority of remains found in the desert are migrants, and the brutal conditions there make it difficult to identify them, which hinder a great many missing persons cases.

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Dr. Molly Kaplan, who works on Texas State University’s program focusing on border-crossing related deaths, told CNN the issue is a “chronic mass disaster” across the American Southwest.

The Sonoroan Desert spans more than 100,000 miles, covering southwestern Arizona, southeastern California and parts of Mexico. Many human remains have been found there. Experts say migrants die of exposure and dehydration attempting to cross the border using dangerous back country routes.

Temperatures in the Arizona desert can routinely reach 46 C and higher in the summertime, speeding up decomposition. Animals such as vultures, coyotes, rats and insects such as flies, beetles and maggots all feed on carcasses and skeletal remains there. Combine all of that with the beating sun and monsoons, and authorities say the remains they come across are often skeletons or well on their way to becoming so.

Photo of Nancy Guthrie shared on Instagram by daughter Savannah Guthrie. Photo by Savannah Guthrie /Instagram

Recent remains

Last Monday sheriff’s deputies located human remains on a hill full of cacti overlooking a highway in southwest Tucson. Three months before that, another discovery of human remains were discovered near Guthrie’s home. Because monsoons bring floods and extreme winds, they often unearth human remains, so experts say the set most recently discovered are unlikely to be Guthrie’s.

“Those same reasons explain why there is very low probability those recently discovered remains will turn out to be related to the Nancy Guthrie case,” University of Arizona assistant professor Bradley Bartos told CNN.

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