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A livestreamer searching for Nancy Guthrie — the 84-year-old mother of NBC’s “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie — made a startling discovery Thursday in Tucson, Arizona: human remains located less than five miles from the missing woman’s home.

Police rushed to the scene after the bone was found in a wash area. The location was quickly cordoned off as authorities moved in to investigate. While the find initially raised hopes it could be connected to Nancy Guthrie, who vanished from her home in February, officials soon determined the remains are far older.

Tucson Police Department confirmed the bone appears to be at least 50 years old — and possibly prehistoric.

Not Connected to Missing Person Case

“This will be a prehistoric anthropological investigation,” police told KVOA, stressing there is no criminal investigation tied to the remains. The University of Arizona’s Anthropology Department is assisting with the analysis.

The discovery site is near an area known for yielding numerous Native American artifacts, adding weight to the possibility that the bone is ancient.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, has been missing since February, and her disappearance continues to draw significant attention as the search for her enters its third month.

The Real Story

What began as a focused effort to help locate a missing elderly woman took an unexpected turn into archaeological territory. While the ancient bone is unrelated to Nancy Guthrie’s case, its discovery highlights how densely layered human history is in the Arizona desert — and how easily one search can intersect with echoes of the distant past.

For Savannah Guthrie and her family, the find brings no closure in their painful wait. The investigation into Nancy’s disappearance remains active, with authorities continuing to seek answers about what happened to the beloved mother and grandmother.

The livestreamer’s search, intended to aid a high-profile missing person case, instead uncovered a piece of history potentially spanning centuries or even millennia.