Police ID Body Found In Canal Within Nancy Guthrie Search Radius
Authorities in Phoenix have identified the battered body of a woman found near a canal last week, and investigators say it is not Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of βTodayβ show co-host Savannah Guthrie who vanished in Tucson five weeks ago.
The remains were discovered Friday more than 100 miles from Tucson, where Nancy Guthrie is believed to have been kidnapped from her home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1.
The woman was identified as Alex Fleming, 42, according to KTAR. Police said her body showed signs of trauma and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Phoenix homicide detectives are investigating.
The discovery briefly sparked speculation that the victim could be connected to the Nancy Guthrie case, given the intense public attention surrounding the Tucson kidnapping. But the Pima County Sheriffβs Department, which is leading the search for Nancy Guthrie, said it had not been alerted to any connection between the cases.
Nancy Guthrie has not been seen or heard from since the night she disappeared. No suspects have been identified 37 days later, despite a flood of tips and ongoing FBI assistance.
Investigators recovered doorbell footage showing a masked man on Guthrieβs front porch. Authorities have also collected evidence from the home, including traces of blood. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said it could take up to βa yearβ to analyze all of the evidence, particularly items containing DNA.
The slow pace and limited public updates have frustrated Guthrieβs loved ones, who have offered a $1 million cash reward for information leading to her safe return or recovery.
Investigators have also been looking into a damaged utility box near Guthrieβs home as part of the case. Several people were briefly detained during the investigation and released within hours. Those individuals have said they had nothing to do with the disappearance.
A series of purported ransom notes demanding millions for Guthrieβs return also surfaced earlier in theΒ case, but each deadline passed without proof of life.
The sheriffβs office has said the investigation remains active, with roughly 300 to 400 personnel assigned, the same staffing level as when the case began. Nanos said last week investigators βare definitely closerβ to finding Guthrie.
Nancy Guthrie latest updates: Damaged utility box under investigation for possible link to internet outage when she disappeared
A reported internet outage disrupted nearby home surveillance cameras around the time Savannah Guthrie’s mother was taken.
Savannah Guthrie at Rockefeller Plaza on March 5, 2026 and Savannah Guthrie and Nancy Guthrie on the “Today” show set in 2015.
(Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
The Pima County Sheriffβs Department isΒ investigatingΒ a damaged utility box around the corner from Nancy Guthrieβs home as the desperate search forΒ TodayΒ cohost Savannah Guthrieβs mother continues in its second month.
Investigators believe it could be connected to a reportedΒ internet outageΒ that occurred around the time she disappeared in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, which disrupted nearby home surveillance cameras.
Savannah Guthrie reunited with her coworkers at theΒ TodayΒ studio in New York City last Thursday. She thanked her colleagues for their support, shared hugs with her coanchors and expressed her interest in returning to the show when the time was right.
βI think her coming here, just being able to be with us and for us to be able to hug her, I think itβs a step,βΒ TodayΒ hostΒ Sheinelle JonesΒ told the audience. βI donβt know whatβs ahead of us, but all I know is it is a step.β
Though there have been no significant breakthroughs in the search for Nancy Guthrie in recent weeks, Pima County Sheriff Chris NanosΒ toldΒ TodayΒ last TuesdayΒ that he believes investigators are βdefinitely closerβ to solving the case. βWeβve got a lot of intel, a lot of leads, but now itβs time to just go to work,β he said.
The family of Nancy Guthrie, 84, is offering $1 million for information leading to her βrecovery.β
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Pima County Sheriffβs Department tip line at 520-351-4900 or the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Live109 updates
Kate Murphy
Investigators looking at possible connection between damaged utility box and reported internet outage
The Pima County Sheriffβs DepartmentΒ confirmed to NBCΒ that it is investigating a damaged utility box located around the corner from Nancy Guthrieβs house. It could be connected to an internet outage reported around the time she disappeared in the early morning hours on Feb. 1, potentially disrupting the availability of video evidence from nearby home surveillance cameras.
Jack Brewster
Investigators looking into possible internet disruption near Nancy Guthrieβs home
Federal investigators are examining whether internet service disruptions in Nancy Guthrieβs Tucson, Ariz., neighborhood the night she vanished could be tied to the abduction.
Guthrieβs neighborsΒ toldΒ NewsNation their home security camera footage from that night is missing or marked βnot available,β and authorities have reportedly asked residents about unusual connectivity problems around Feb. 1.
Mike Bebernes
Savannah Guthrie visits βTodayβ studio, tells coworkers she plans to return to the show
Savannah Guthrie visits the “Today” show on March 5.
(Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Savannah Guthrie met with her colleagues in New York City on Thursday morning for a tearful reunion as the search for her mother continues into its second month. Photos from the studio show Guthrie wiping away tears, hugging her coworkers and receiving a kiss on the cheek from herΒ TodayΒ cohost Hoda Kotb.
Guthrie hasnβt appeared on the show since Jan. 30, two days before her mother, Nancy Guthrie, was reported missing.
After the visit, host Jenna Bush Hager told theΒ TodayΒ audience that Guthrie said she planned to return to the show but doesnβt have a timeline for when that might happen.
βShe said that she has the intention to return to the show. Even though it feels like the hardest thing to do, itβs also her home and where she feels so loved,β Bush Hager said. βI donβt know when she is actually returning to the show, but she was here and that felt so good to get to hug her.β
Mike Bebernes
DNA from gloves traced back to individual who is not considered a suspect
DNA analysis of genetic material pulled from a pair of black gloves found two miles from Nancy Guthrieβs home led back to a local restaurant worker who is not connected to the case, theΒ Pima County Sheriffβs DepartmentΒ said on Wednesday.
In mid-February, the sheriffβs department said that DNA from the gloves did not match any entries in the FBIβs national genetic database.
The departmentΒ told local mediaΒ that it found a total of 16 pairs of gloves in the area around Guthrieβs house, most of which were later traced back to members of search teams.
Kate Murphy
Pima County sheriff says investigators are ‘definitely closer’ in the case
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos believes that investigators are βdefinitely closerβ to identifying a suspect or suspects in the case of Nancy Guthrieβs disappearance, he told NBC in anΒ interviewΒ that aired on theΒ TodayΒ show on Tuesday.
Nanos said that a dedicated team from his departmentβs homicide unit is working with the FBI and investigating the case under the presumption that Nancy Guthrie is still alive. He said theyβre continuing to pursue thousands of leads.
βI think the investigators are definitely closer,β Nanos said.
During the interview, Nanos was asked about a neighborβs doorbell camera video, obtained byΒ Fox News Digital. The video shows a car speeding past the neighborβs house, about 2.5 miles away from Nancy Guthrieβs home, at 2:36 a.m. on Feb. 1, just hours before she was reported missing.
βLook, what I would tell you is this: Weβre aware of it, and weβre looking into it, just like any other piece of evidence,β the sheriff said, adding that authorities have not been able to identify the car yet.
βWeβre looking at that vehicle as well as hundreds of thousands of other vehicles that were out driving that time of day,β he said.
When asked about the mixed DNA found at Nancy Guthrieβs home, Nanos suggested that it might be a mixture of DNA from several people. Experts say it can be difficult to extract the DNA profile from one person in these mixtures.
Kate Murphy
Man detained last month by authorities speaks out: ‘I have nothing to do with this case’
On Feb. 13, Luke Daley was detained for several hours by Pima County sheriffβs deputies and was questioned by the FBI in connection with Nancy Guthrieβs disappearance. For the first time since being detained and cleared, Daley is speaking out in an interview with Briana Whitney, a true crime correspondent for Arizonaβs Family, saying he had nothing to do with Nancy Guthrieβs disappearance.
βItβs not me,β Daley said, referring to the masked person in the FBI-released doorbell camera video. βI donβt see the resemblance of it looking like me.β
He said he doesnβt know who is involved in Guthrieβs disappearance, and if he did, he would βhappilyβ tell the authorities.
Daley said that on the night he was detained, he was driving home in his Range Rover when two sheriffβs cars pulled him over and told him to get out of the vehicle, before cuffing him and detaining him for about four to five hours. When he asked what he was being detained for, they didnβt tell him.
Daley said he just learned that Nancy Guthrie lived nearby and has never met her. He said he knew who she was only because his mom was following the case. Authorities towed his Range Rover for a search, which he ultimately got back. They also took his cellphone for a search, which he still hasnβt gotten back. In the meantime, a SWAT raid was being conducted at his home.
βThe worst part was my mom not being there,β Daley said, adding that she has health issues. βIβm thinking the worst.β Without a cellphone, he couldnβt get in touch with her but discovered the next day that she had gone to a neighborβs house.
Daley has called the ordeal a βnightmareβ and feels like he canβt go out in public. He said he just wants Nancy Guthrie to return home safely and for his name to be cleared.
Kate Murphy
Savannah Guthrie and family visit memorial outside Nancy Guthrie’s home
Savannah Guthrie visited a memorial outside of her motherβs home in Tucson, Ariz., on Monday, marking one month since Nancy Guthrie disappeared. Savannah was joined by her sister Annie and her brother-in-law, Tommaso Cioni. The three were seen hugging one another as they added flowers to a growing tribute near Nancy Guthrieβs mailbox.
Dylan Stableford
Timeline of key developments in the search for Nancy Guthrie
An aerial view of Nancy Guthrie’s home on Feb. 25.
(Joe Raedle via Getty Images)
Itβs been nearly a month since Nancy Guthrie was reported missing from her home near Tucson, Ariz. Police believe that Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother ofΒ TodayΒ show cohost Savannah Guthrie, was abducted.
Jan. 31
Nancy Guthrie is last seen around 9:45 p.m. when she is dropped off by her family at her home in the Catalina Foothills north of Tucson, Ariz., after having dinner with her daughter, Annie Guthrie, who lives nearby.
Feb. 1
Nancy Guthrieβs pacemaker stops syncing with herΒ AppleΒ devices at 2:28 a.m., according to police. She is reported missing around noon after she did not show up at a friendβs house to watch an online church service.
Feb. 2
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos says police believe Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped and didnβt leave her home on her own.
Feb. 4
Nancy Guthrieβs adult children postΒ an Instagram videoΒ addressing a possible ransom video, saying that the family is ready to talk but needs proof that their mother is alive.
Feb. 10
The FBI releasesΒ videoΒ andΒ imagesΒ of what it said was an βarmed individualβ appearing to tamper with a doorbell camera at Nancy Guthrieβs home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1.
Authorities detain and later release a delivery driver after carrying out a βcourt-authorized searchβ of his Rio Rico, Ariz., home. He tells reporters: βI hope they get the suspect, because I’m not it.β
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