Remains found miles from Nancy Guthrie home with ‘no indication’ of connection to case so far, sheriff’s department says

A sign reads stands amid yellow flowers left at the house of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of U.S. journalist and television host Savannah Guthrie, who went missing from her home on February 1, in Tucson, U.S., February 21. Rebecca Noble/Reuters via CNN Newsource

Human remains have been found in a desert area near West Ajo Way and South La Cholla Boulevard in Arizona, approximately 15 miles from the home of Nancy Guthrie, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

Authorities said there is no indication “at this time” that the remains, which appear to have been at the location for an extended period of time, are connected to the Nancy Guthrie investigation.

On a hillside covered in saguaro cacti overlooking a busy four-lane highway in southwest Tucson, Pima County Sheriff’s Department deputies were seen at the reported location of the remains.

There didn’t appear to be signs of a large law enforcement presence. From the highway, at least three sheriff vehicles were seen parked at the top of a residential driveway. The road leading up to the hill had a wooden sign marked “private drive.”

NBC “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother, 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, vanished from her Tucson-area home on February 1.

She was last seen January 31 before she was apparently kidnapped from her home in Arizona’s Catalina Foothills — without her phone or critical medications. Investigators have no leading theory about a motive, according to a source.

In July, almost six months after Nancy Guthrie went missing, officials released the full contents of a ransom note and a follow-up letter addressed to Nancy Guthrie’s family that claimed she had died in hopes of generating new leads on her case.

Investigators also continue to run lab analyses on DNA found at Nancy Guthrie’s house.

Savannah Guthrie, who continues pleading for information through social media posts, and her family have offered a $1 million reward for intelligence that could lead to Nancy Guthrie’s recovery.

This story has been updated with additional information.

By Julianna Bragg, CNN