Human skeletal remains located approximately seven miles from the Tucson home of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie have been assessed by an anthropology expert as likely prehistoric and possibly Native American, officials and forensic specialists say. The discovery, made earlier this month, prompted investigators to treat the find as an anthropological matter separate from the ongoing inquiry into Guthrie’s disappearance.
Left: portrait of Nancy Guthrie; right: aerial view of a Tucson-area home — the property context for the missing 84-year-old as investigators probe human remains found nearby.
James T. Watson, an anthropology professor at the University of Arizona who examined the scene, told investigators that what was recovered at the site was a human skeleton rather than an isolated fragment. "Whether it is a 1,000 years old or 50 years old, these are human remains," he said, underscoring that the precise age will depend on further laboratory analysis and contextual evidence recovered at the location.
Watson said the contextual finds at the site — in particular ceramic fragments found with the bones — pointed toward a Native American origin for the individual. "All of that contextual evidence allowed me to be pretty sure that this individual was in fact Native American. The ceramics really sort of drove home that point," he said. Those associated artifacts, alongside the environmental conditions of the area, informed his preliminary assessment of the remains as prehistoric.
The term "prehistoric" is used in this instance to denote material and human remains that predate written records, investigators said. Authorities categorized the discovery as a "prehistoric anthropological investigation" and emphasized that classification when announcing the initial findings. The skeletal material and any associated artifacts were transferred to the Tohono O'odham Nation, whose reservation lies to the west of Tucson, for further study and appropriate handling.
Investigators stressed that the discovery is not being treated as related to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. Guthrie, the mother of a well-known national television anchor, disappeared in late January and was last seen at her Tucson residence on Jan. 31; her disappearance was reported as occurring on Feb. 1. Law enforcement officials reviewing the items recovered at the seven-mile distant site concluded the remains do not match the timeline or circumstances of Guthrie’s disappearance and therefore are not considered part of that missing-persons case.
Despite the separation of the two matters, the find highlighted the frequency with which desert regions in and around Tucson produce human remains spanning wide historical ranges. "The desert there is a pretty harsh environment, and obviously it's been settled for hundreds, thousands of years," Watson said. He added that discoveries of human remains in these landscapes are not uncommon: "There are literally probably hundreds of bodies that are discovered every year out in the desert." He cautioned that as more areas are examined, particularly places not typically scrutinized, additional finds are likely. "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," he said.
Close-up photo of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old woman who vanished Feb. 1; her case is under investigation after bones were discovered about seven miles from her home.
Parallel to the separate anthropological investigation, Nancy Guthrie’s family continues to pursue leads in the search for the missing woman. Her daughter has maintained a private effort alongside official inquiries. A source close to the family said Guthrie’s daughter "still believes her mom can be found," and that private investigators retained by the family are "working every single day." The source added that the family is committed to financing the search and is prepared to pay for additional investigators, security or other resources they deem necessary. "Money doesn’t matter to her right now. This is about finding her mother," the source said. "She refuses to rely solely on law enforcement."
For now, the anthropological matter will proceed through the channels appropriate for prehistoric remains and associated cultural material, while the missing-persons investigation continues its separate course. The skeletal material removed from the field has been entrusted to the Tohono O'odham Nation, and further analysis will determine a more precise age and any cultural affiliations. Meanwhile, the family’s private search efforts remain active as law enforcement continues to pursue leads tied directly to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.