BUCKEYE, Ariz. — The remains of Hope Tucker, a Valley woman who has been missing for over a month, were found Monday morning north of Interstate 10 near the Sienna Hills community.
“This is not the outcome we wanted," said Carissa Planalp with the Buckeye Police Department hours after Tucker was found.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Encuentran los restos de Hope Tucker, la madre del oeste del valle que estaba desaparecida
Planalp said the 46-year-old woman's body did not display any obvious signs of trauma. The medical examiner will be working to determine how she died.
Tucker was last seen by her adult son Tashawn, who has autism and is non-verbal, on May 22 after their car broke down on I-10. The mother, son and their dog left their vehicle in search of shade.
Police said Tashawn told them his mother laid down to rest when he said she closed her eyes and stopped breathing.
"According to Hope's son, she passed away on May 22, that was the same day that they broke down," Planalp said.
Tashawn was found two days later at a gas station a few miles away from the family's car. Planalp said he was severely dehydrated and taken to a local hospital for treatment where he stayed for close to a month. His grandfather, Leroy Tucker, learned what happened to Tashawn and flew in from California to pick him up. That's when Tashawn told Leroy about the situation. Buckeye police were notified that same day and a search was initiated.
“We were a month behind by the time we received the report," Planalp said. "So this was challenging.”
The remains of Tucker and her dog were discovered at about 6:30 a.m. on July 8 about a mile and a half from I-10 in a desert area, police said.
"It was Buckeye police detectives that were out walking a search line this morning when they located the body," Planalp said.
12News spoke to Leroy just a few hours after Buckeye made the announcement that Hope's remains were found. Leroy said he's still trying to comprehend that his daughter isn't coming home. While he and his family are heartbroken by the announcement, he said they can finally start the healing process.
>> Download the 12News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone.
UP TO SPEED
Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12News YouTube channel. Subscribe today.
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.