Last Updated on September 16, 2026 7:02 pm
The Washington County, Tennessee, Sheriff's Office has confirmed that human remains discovered along the Nolichucky River last weekend belong to Nancy Tucker, 76, the last person reported missing in the county following Hurricane Helene nearly two years ago.
Tucker and her husband, Jimmy Tucker, disappeared together when floodwaters from the Nolichucky River swept away their rural Washington County home on Sept. 27, 2024. Jimmy Tucker's body was recovered within days near the Jackson Bridge area, but Nancy Tucker remained missing until this past weekend. The couple's son also lived in the home but was at work when the flood hit.
Washington County Sheriff Keith Sexton had vowed after the storm to recover every person still missing, and search teams continued working through flood debris in the county for nearly two years. The search for Tucker's remains moved to Jackson Island in August, roughly three miles from where she was last believed to have been seen, as U.S. Army Corps of Engineers debris-clearing operations progressed through the area.
Remains were discovered Saturday afternoon, with recovery work continuing into Sunday evening. James Matthews, an operations and public affairs officer with Washington County/Johnson City Emergency Management, said searchers had tracked every previous search of the area. Describing the moment recovery crews found evidence confirming the discovery, Matthews said, “We stopped. We cried. All of us cried. And we prayed.” Final positive identification was made by a medical examiner at the William Jenkins Forensic Center at East Tennessee State University on Monday afternoon.
Jimmy and Nancy Tucker met while both serving in the U.S. Army and were married 44 years. In a statement provided through Matthews, family spokesperson Risa Buck said the family can “now work on healing and celebrating and bringing her home,” so she can be laid to rest beside her husband.
Washington County/Johnson City emergency officials, joined by Johnson City Mayor Joe Grandy, held a press conference Tuesday to discuss the years-long search and the agencies involved in the recovery effort.
