Human remains were found on August 17, 2026, in a desert area near West Ajo Way and South La Cholla Boulevard, on Tucson’s southwest side — about 15 miles from the Catalina Foothills home where 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie disappeared earlier this year. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said the remains “appear to have been at the location for an extended period of time,” and that, as of its August 17 statement, “there is no indication they are connected to the Nancy Guthrie investigation.” The remains have not been identified, and Guthrie’s case remains open.
Key facts
- Aug. 17, 2026: Human remains found in a desert area near West Ajo Way and South La Cholla Boulevard, on Tucson’s southwest side.
- Location: About 15 miles from the Catalina Foothills home where Nancy Guthrie, 84, disappeared.
- Sheriff’s statement: Remains “appear to have been at the location for an extended period of time”; “no indication” of a link to the Guthrie case — but that is not a final ruling-out.
- Guthrie’s case: Missing since Feb. 1, 2026; no suspect has been publicly named or charged; the case remains open.
- Carlos Palazuelos: Separately, a 36-year-old delivery driver was detained by deputies for about eight hours in February and released without charge; through his attorney, he is part of a $3.25 million combined claim against Pima County alleging wrongful arrest and search and is seeking to have the warrant affidavit behind his detention unsealed.
Timeline of the disappearance
- Evening before Feb. 1, 2026 — Guthrie last seen at her home.
- Feb. 1, 2026 — Nancy Guthrie reported missing from her Catalina Foothills home.
- Feb. 2, 2026 — First ransom-style note received, demanding payment in Bitcoin and threatening her death.
- Feb. 6, 2026 — Second ransom-style note received, claiming she had already died.
- Aug. 17, 2026 — Human remains found near Tucson; the sheriff’s office says there is no indication of a link to the Guthrie case.
Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance
Guthrie, the mother of NBC “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing on February 1, 2026, after last being seen the evening before at her home. Investigators, including the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, believe she was abducted. More than six months later, no suspect has been publicly named or charged in her disappearance.
Carlos Palazuelos and a civil claim
Separately, Carlos Palazuelos, a 36-year-old delivery driver, was detained by deputies for about eight hours in February and released without charge. Through his attorney, he is part of a $3.25 million combined claim, filed jointly with other claimants, against Pima County alleging wrongful arrest and search, and is seeking to have the warrant affidavit behind his detention unsealed.
Ransom notes and unconfirmed claims
Two ransom-style notes surfaced in February and remain unverified. The first, sent February 2, demanded payment in Bitcoin and threatened that Guthrie would be killed if it went unpaid. The second, sent February 6, claimed she had already died of an apparent heart-related cause shortly after being taken. Authorities have not confirmed either claim, and Guthrie continues to be treated as a missing person, not a confirmed homicide victim. Separately, a man identified in reporting as Derrick Callella was charged federally with transmitting a ransom demand — not with kidnapping or killing Guthrie — though it is not clear from available reporting whether his charge is connected to either of the notes described above.
Criticism of the sheriff’s department’s response
The department has also faced outside criticism over how it handled the early days of the search. A Wall Street Journal investigation reported that Guthrie’s property was not sealed with crime-scene tape for several hours after she was reported missing, and that the department’s search-and-rescue plane was delayed in getting airborne. A separate Arizona Republic account put the delay at roughly three hours. Sheriff Chris Nanos disputed the overall thrust of that reporting, saying the case “is not cold” and that his department is “working hard every day with all of our partners.” He has acknowledged some specific missteps. Guthrie’s home was released as an active crime scene too soon, requiring deputies to return days later to collect more evidence, and requests for help from outside agencies could have gone out sooner. The sheriff’s department says it continues reviewing DNA and video evidence as the investigation goes on.
Other Pima County cases this week
Two other Pima County Sheriff’s Department stories made news this week, unconnected to Guthrie’s case. On August 14, deputies arrested 34-year-old Derrick J. Gonzales and charged him, though not convicted, with first-degree murder and sexual abuse of a minor in the death of his five-month-old son. That same day, Tucson’s new Pima Family Advocacy Center, a one-stop resource center for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and elder abuse, held its grand opening after roughly eight years of inter-agency planning, bringing roughly 15 partner nonprofits together with law enforcement and legal-aid services under one roof.