A group of volunteers searched for the body of Savannah Guthrie’s mom, Nancy, after an anonymous tip said that she was buried in a group of unmarked graves about 70 miles from Nancy’s home in Arizona.
The anonymous tip has injected fresh urgency into a case that has remained unsolved for more than four months, as investigators and volunteer search crews now follow a possible cross-border lead suggesting Guthrie, 84, may have been buried near the Arizona-Mexico border. While the claim has not been verified and initial searches turned up no remains, authorities say they will continue to pursue all credible tips as the investigation into her suspected abduction—and possible movement outside the United States—enters a critical new phase.
A surge of cross-border searches for Guthrie has reignited global attention on the case after the tip pointed investigators to a remote stretch of northern Mexico. Volunteers working with a Mexican search collective have scoured terrain near the U.S.-Mexico border, focusing on a rugged area known as Mariposa, after receiving detailed information claiming Guthrie may have been buried there.
The tip triggered a large-scale search effort—but so far, it has produced no answers.
Authorities say the investigation into Guthrie’s disappearance remains ongoing.
How Long Has Nancy Guthrie Been Missing?
Nancy went missing on February 1, as authorities have said that they’ll continue searching for her.
Where Has the Nancy Guthrie Tip Led Search Teams?
A volunteer group called Buscando Corazones Nogales, which specializes in finding missing persons and clandestine graves, said it received an anonymous tip that Guthrie was buried near a stream in the Mariposa area of Nogales near the U.S. border.
Search teams operating in the Mexican state of Sonora confirmed they carried out an extensive sweep of the area highlighted by the anonymous caller but did not find her remains. The search is going to continue, though, according to the group.
“We received an anonymous call telling us that the woman’s remains were in the Mariposa area — in a grave over a stream,” group leader Ramona Guadalupe Ayala Ortiz told El Imparcial.
The site is not unfamiliar to search crews. The same region has previously yielded dozens of graves tied to other missing-persons cases, including at least 25 unmarked burial sites discovered during earlier searches.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed it is aware of the recent tip that prompted the Mexico search but said it has not been contacted by Mexican authorities about the operation.
“This investigation remains active and ongoing, and we will continue to follow up on any credible information,” the department said in a statement.
The renewed search effort comes more than four months after Guthrie disappeared from her home in Tucson, Arizona, under what investigators have described as suspicious circumstances. Authorities believe she was abducted in the early hours of February 1 after a masked individual was captured on video near her property.
Physical evidence found at the scene—including blood and DNA—prompted law enforcement to treat the case as a potential kidnapping and officials later said that it appears that she did not leave willingly.
Despite an extensive investigation involving federal agents, local law enforcement, and private resources funded by the family, no suspect has been publicly identified.
The possibility of Guthrie’s kidnapping being cartel-related isn’t a new theory and was among those floated when she first went missing. However, authorities have not confirmed the cartel has been involved and even if she is found in Mexico, it doesn’t mean the cartel was involved.
Nancy Guthrie/Mexico Map Shows House, Unmarked Graves Location
Guthrie was last seen at her Tucson residence, roughly 70 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The anonymous tip directed volunteers to the Mariposa area, northwest of Nogales, Sonora, a region just south of Arizona that has become known among search groups for hidden burial sites.
The anonymous tip claimed that Guthrie was buried in one of the dry creek beds that run through the area. Search teams focused their efforts on terrain near a stream described by the tipster, expanding into nearby sections that had not been fully explored in earlier operations.
The geography is challenging, filled with rugged desert, uneven slopes and areas where clandestine burials have gone undetected for extended periods. Volunteers said the zone had already yielded multiple discoveries in the past, including human remains from unrelated cases.
In the most recent search, teams reported uncovering additional burial sites or signs of previous excavations—but none linked to Guthrie.
The anonymous tip has underscored both the urgency and uncertainty surrounding the Guthrie case. It’s far from the first tip to not pan out—at least not yet—and officials have cautioned that the longer she goes without being found, the less likely it is that she will be.
Despite the monthslong disappearance, the Guthrie family and officials continue appealing to the public for information and urge anyone with credible leads to come forward. The family has also offered a $1 million reward for information related to the discovery of Guthrie.
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