A Mexican volunteer search group is conducting its third sweep of a remote border zone after an anonymous tipster claimed the remains of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of "Today" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, are buried near Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.
Buscando Corazones Nogales, whose name translates to "Looking for Hearts Nogales," received the first anonymous call in May 2026, roughly 70 days after Guthrie vanished from her Catalina Foothills home near Tucson, Arizona, on Feb. 1.
The tipster told the group that her remains were buried in one of the arroyos, or dry streambeds, in the Mariposa area, located west of Nogales near the Arizona-Mexico border. A first search was carried out on May 16 and turned up nothing, according to People.
The anonymous caller then provided a second, more specific location within the same general area, prompting a second search on June 10, which also came up empty.
Group leader Ramona Guadalupe Ayala Ortiz confirmed to local outlet El Imparcial that a third search operation is planned for June 16 or 17. Ayala Ortiz stated that the group will continue searching the area with the aim of locating Guthrie and other missing persons.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department said on June 11 that it is aware of the anonymous tip but has not been contacted by Mexican authorities.
"This investigation remains active and ongoing, and we will continue to follow up on any credible information," the department stated. The FBI, which has no jurisdiction in Mexico, did not dispatch agents to the search zone.
Buscando Corazones Nogales has previously found more than 25 clandestine, unmarked graves in the broader Nogales, Sonora area, but has so far found none connected to Guthrie. The search group operated with security assistance from the Sonora State Commission for the Search of Missing Persons, as well as municipal and state officials.
Authorities believe Guthrie was abducted from her home sometime between the late hours of January 31 and the early morning of Feb. 1, the BBC reported.
The FBI has identified a sole suspect, a male described as approximately 5 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall with an average build, based on forensic analysis of footage from a Nest doorbell camera at Guthrie's residence.
The suspect was captured on camera wearing a black, 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack and was also seen tampering with the camera and placing branches in front of the lens.
DNA from an unknown male, found on a glove recovered roughly two miles from Guthrie's home, did not match any profile in the FBI's national CoDIS database.
No arrests have been made, and no persons of interest have been publicly named in the nearly five-month-old investigation. The FBI has received tens of thousands of tips related to the case since Guthrie's disappearance.
Savannah Guthrie and her family are offering a reward of up to $1 million for any information that leads to Nancy's recovery, which can be reported anonymously by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI, as per TMZ.
