Volunteers searched near Nogales, Sonora, after a message claimed the missing Arizona woman’s remains were buried there.
TUCSON, AZ — Search teams in northern Mexico have looked for Nancy Guthrie after an anonymous tip claimed the missing 84-year-old Arizona woman’s remains were buried in an unmarked grave near Nogales, Sonora.
The tip has pushed new attention onto a case that has stretched more than four months without an arrest or public finding on Guthrie’s location. Guthrie, the mother of “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, disappeared from her home near Tucson on Feb. 1. Authorities have said evidence at the home showed she was likely taken against her will. The new search did not confirm that Guthrie was in Mexico, and officials have not announced the discovery of her remains.
The search was carried out by Buscando Corazones Nogales, a volunteer group in Sonora that looks for missing people and clandestine graves. The group searched in the Mariposa area, west of Nogales and near the U.S.-Mexico border, after receiving an anonymous message that claimed Guthrie had been buried there. Ramona Guadalupe Ayala Ortiz, who leads the group, said the message pointed searchers toward a site near a stream. The group said it had previously found more than two dozen unmarked graves in the area, but its latest search did not locate Guthrie. A second anonymous message later renewed the same claim, prompting more attention from searchers and local authorities.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said it was aware of the reports from Mexico, but Sheriff Chris Nanos said his office had not been contacted by Mexican authorities about a confirmed finding. Nanos said investigators were still reviewing leads and waiting on forensic work tied to the case. “We are not going to arrest the wrong person,” Nanos said in remarks addressing the pace of the investigation. Authorities have not named a suspect. They have also not said whether the Mexico tip is connected to earlier messages that claimed Guthrie had been taken across the border. The FBI and local investigators have treated the case as an active missing person and possible kidnapping investigation.
Guthrie was reported missing Feb. 1 after she was not heard from as expected. She lived alone in the Catalina Foothills area north of Tucson. Investigators later said there were signs of a struggle inside her home, and blood was found there. Authorities have not publicly confirmed whose blood it was. Doorbell camera footage released earlier in the case showed a masked person near Guthrie’s home. Investigators described the person as wearing gloves and carrying a backpack, and said the person tried to block or tamper with the camera. Guthrie’s age, medical needs and the condition of the home led officials to say they believed she had been abducted.
The case has drawn national attention because of Guthrie’s family connection to Savannah Guthrie, but investigators have said the family is not under suspicion. Early searches focused on the Tucson area, while later leads stretched into Sonora. A human bone found in May several miles from Guthrie’s home was later determined not to be connected to her disappearance and was tied to a prehistoric anthropological matter. The FBI increased its reward earlier in the investigation, and the Guthrie family later announced a $1 million reward for information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s return or to the arrest of those responsible. Authorities have said they have received many tips, but no public breakthrough has followed.
The Mexico search adds another cross-border layer to a case already marked by uncertain leads, public pressure and limited confirmed evidence. Buscando Corazones Nogales conducts searches in an area where families often look for people believed to have been buried in hidden graves. The group’s work in the Mariposa area was supported by Sonora search officials and local security personnel, according to reports from the search. No agency has said the anonymous tip was verified. No remains identified as Guthrie have been found, and there has been no public statement that the search site produced physical evidence tied to the Tucson home.
For now, the investigation remains in the hands of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, the FBI and any Mexican authorities reviewing the Sonora lead. The next steps are expected to include follow-up searches, continued review of tips and forensic testing already underway. Officials have not announced a court hearing, a suspect in custody or a timetable for when lab results could be released. Investigators have said they are moving carefully because the evidence must support any arrest. The lack of a confirmed scene in Mexico leaves the tip in the category of an unproven lead, not a finding.
Family members have kept Guthrie’s case in public view while avoiding claims that go beyond what investigators have confirmed. Savannah Guthrie has said the family still hopes for answers and has asked anyone with direct information to come forward. Search volunteers in Sonora have said they plan to keep looking in areas named by tips when conditions and security allow. The desert and border terrain around Nogales can make searches slow, with remote washes, brush and rough roads limiting access. Each new claim must be checked against physical evidence, official records and the timeline from Guthrie’s home.
As of June 15, Nancy Guthrie has not been found, and no arrest has been announced. The Mexico tip remains under review after searches near Nogales failed to confirm the claim that her remains were buried there.
Author note: Last updated June 15, 2026.