Tucson, Arizona — Human bones discovered earlier this month just five miles from the home of missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie have been determined to be prehistoric — potentially up to 1,000 years old — and unrelated to her disappearance, authorities and experts confirmed. The skeletal remains were found on May 7 by amateur investigator and YouTuber AJ Wysopal while he was livestreaming a search in the Catalina Foothills area. The discovery initially sparked speculation due to its proximity to Guthrie’s residence, but forensic analysis quickly ruled out any connection to the ongoing missing persons case. James T. Watson, an anthropologist at the University of Arizona, examined the remains and associated artifacts. He concluded that the bones, along with ceramics found at the site, are consistent with ancient Native American settlements in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert. “All of that contextual evidence allowed me to be pretty sure that this individual was in fact Native American,” Watson told Fox News. “The ceramics really sort of drove home that point.” The remains are considered “prehistoric” because they predate any recorded written history in the region. Experts believe the individual was buried between several hundred and up to 1,000 years ago. All materials from the gravesite have been turned over to the Tohono O’odham Nation, the Native American tribe in the area west of Tucson. No further testing or research is planned. Watson noted that such discoveries are relatively common in the Sonoran Desert due to real estate development and the harsh terrain, which can expose long-buried remains. “There are literally probably hundreds of bodies that are discovered every year out in the desert,” he said, adding that the desert’s vast and rugged landscape makes it easy for remains to remain hidden for centuries. Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC’s “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie, disappeared from her Tucson-area home on February 1. Her case remains active, with a $1.2 million reward offered by her family for information leading to her safe return. A masked intruder was reportedly captured on camera at her home around the time of her disappearance.
Tucson, Arizona — Human bones discovered earlier this month just five miles from the home of missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie have been determined to be prehistoric — potentially up to 1,000 years old — and unrelated to her disappearance, authorities and experts confirmed.
The skeletal remains were found on May 7 by amateur investigator and YouTuber AJ Wysopal while he was livestreaming a search in the Catalina Foothills area. The discovery initially sparked speculation due to its proximity to Guthrie’s residence, but forensic analysis quickly ruled out any connection to the ongoing missing persons case.
James T. Watson, an anthropologist at the University of Arizona, examined the remains and associated artifacts. He concluded that the bones, along with ceramics found at the site, are consistent with ancient Native American settlements in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert.
“All of that contextual evidence allowed me to be pretty sure that this individual was in fact Native American,” Watson told Fox News. “The ceramics really sort of drove home that point.”
The remains are considered “prehistoric” because they predate any recorded written history in the region. Experts believe the individual was buried between several hundred and up to 1,000 years ago.
All materials from the gravesite have been turned over to the Tohono O’odham Nation, the Native American tribe in the area west of Tucson. No further testing or research is planned.
Watson noted that such discoveries are relatively common in the Sonoran Desert due to real estate development and the harsh terrain, which can expose long-buried remains.
“There are literally probably hundreds of bodies that are discovered every year out in the desert,” he said, adding that the desert’s vast and rugged landscape makes it easy for remains to remain hidden for centuries.
Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC’s “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie, disappeared from her Tucson-area home on February 1. Her case remains active, with a $1.2 million reward offered by her family for information leading to her safe return. A masked intruder was reportedly captured on camera at her home around the time of her disappearance.
