A new and unsettling development has emerged in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC News journalist Savannah Guthrie, after human remains were discovered in a remote desert area near Tucson, Arizona.

Pima County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue deputies responded after the remains were reported near West Ajo Way and South La Cholla Boulevard. Authorities said the remains appeared to have been at the location for an extended period of time.

The discovery immediately drew attention because Nancy Guthrie has remained missing for months. She disappeared from her Arizona home earlier this year, and investigators have treated the case as an apparent abduction. No suspect has been publicly arrested in connection with her disappearance.

However, authorities have stressed that there is currently no indication that the remains are connected to Nancy Guthrie’s case. The discovery should therefore not be interpreted as evidence that Nancy has been found.

The remains were found approximately 15 miles from Guthrie’s home, a detail that quickly fueled speculation online. But investigators have not announced an identification or established any connection between the remains and the missing-person investigation.

Nancy’s disappearance has attracted national attention because of her connection to Savannah Guthrie, the longtime Todayshow co-anchor. Investigators have spent months searching for answers, examining surveillance footage, following tips and investigating information surrounding the circumstances of her disappearance.

The case has also generated a significant amount of speculation across social media. Authorities have repeatedly urged people to distinguish confirmed investigative information from theories and unverified claims circulating online.

For Nancy’s family, the search continues without a confirmed answer. The discovery of human remains adds another unsettling development to an already lengthy investigation, but at this stage it does not provide authorities with a confirmed breakthrough in finding Nancy.

Until the remains are identified and investigators establish whether they have any relevance to the case, the circumstances surrounding Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance remain unresolved.

Authorities continue to investigate, while Nancy’s family and the public await answers about what happened to her.