The discovery of a woman’s body near a canal in Phoenix has added another layer of uncertainty to the ongoing search for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, who vanished from her Tucson home in February 2026.
As investigators continue working across multiple leads, Guthrie’s family remains focused on finding answers about what happened to their mother.
Police in Phoenix shared that officers were called to the Grand Canal Trail near 27th Place around 7:40 a.m. on Friday after someone reported seeing an woman lying near the canal.
In a statement, authorities said, via Fox News Digital, “Details on the call indicated that an adult female was on the nearby canal bank and was unresponsive.”
When officers arrived, they located the woman, and she was pronounced lifeless at the scene.
Authorities claimed there is currently no confirmed link to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance
Since the canal is located more than 100 miles from Tucson, where Nancy disappeared, the discovery quickly triggered speculation about whether the cases could be related.
However, investigator in Pima County, who are leading the search for Nancy, said they have not been informed of any connection between the two cases.
A spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department told reporters that they have “not been advised of any law enforcement activity” linking the canal d*ath to the Guthrie investigation.
For now, authorities say the cases remain separate investigations.
Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance has approached one month with no official ruling
Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson-area home on February 1, prompting a large-scale investigation.
As reported surveillance footage from the home captured a masked individual approaching her front door and tampering with a doorbell camera during the early morning hours.
Investigators later discovered blood outside the home, which was confirmed to belong to Nancy.