Phoenix Canal Death Identified as Alex Fleming; Authorities Say No Link to Missing Nancy Guthrie

What Phoenix police say happened

Phoenix police have identified a woman found dead along a central Phoenix canal as 42-year-old Alex Fleming, and investigators have opened a homicide case after officers reported signs of trauma.

Police were dispatched Friday morning, March 6, 2026, to the area near 28th Street and McDowell Road after an “unknown trouble” call. Officers located an unresponsive woman and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives later took over the case as a homicide investigation.

Why the discovery drew wider attention

The canal location quickly drew public scrutiny because of ongoing interest in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, 84, who was reported missing in Pima County on February 1, 2026. Online speculation suggested the Phoenix case might be connected to that missing-person investigation.

Law enforcement officials in Pima County have said they have not been notified of any connection between the Phoenix canal death and the missing-person case involving Guthrie. Phoenix authorities have not announced any investigative link between the two matters.

What is known — and what remains unconfirmed

Investigators have not publicly released a cause and manner of death for Fleming. Those determinations typically follow a medical examiner’s examination and can take additional time when investigators are also working to reconstruct events leading up to a death.

Authorities also have not announced arrests or named suspects related to Fleming’s death. No timeline has been made public describing when Fleming was last seen alive, how long she may have been at the canal bank, or whether any witnesses have come forward.

• Confirmed: Fleming, 42, was found unresponsive on March 6, 2026, near the Grand Canal corridor around 28th Street and McDowell Road; police reported signs of trauma and assigned homicide detectives.

• Confirmed: Pima County authorities have said they have not been notified of any connection between the Phoenix death investigation and Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance reported February 1, 2026.

• Not confirmed publicly: Cause of death, circumstances leading to death, and any suspect description or motive.

How authorities are asking the public to respond

Phoenix police are asking anyone with information related to Fleming’s death to contact investigators. Authorities have also directed tipsters to Silent Witness, which accepts information anonymously.

Police have described the case as a homicide investigation based on reported signs of trauma.

As of Monday, March 9, 2026, officials have released no information indicating that the Phoenix homicide investigation and the Pima County missing-person case are connected.