The Washington County, Tennessee, Sheriff's Office has confirmed that human remains discovered along the Nolichucky River last weekend belong to Nancy Tucker, 76. Tucker was the last person reported missing in the county following Hurricane Helene, which struck nearly two years ago.
Nancy Tucker and her husband, Jimmy Tucker, vanished on September 27, 2024, when floodwaters from the Nolichucky River swept away their rural Washington County home. Jimmy Tucker's body was recovered within days near the Jackson Bridge area, but Nancy Tucker had remained missing until this past weekend. The couple's son also lived in the home but was at work when the flood hit.
Following the storm, Washington County Sheriff Keith Sexton had vowed to recover every person still missing. True to that commitment, search teams continued to work diligently through flood debris in the county for nearly two years. The search for Tucker's remains moved to Jackson Island in August, an area roughly three miles from where she was last believed to have been seen. This shift in focus coincided with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers debris-clearing operations progressing 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, stated that searchers had tracked every previous search of the area. Describing the emotional 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 on Monday afternoon by a medical examiner at the William Jenkins Forensic Center at East Tennessee State University.
Jimmy and Nancy Tucker met while both serving in the U.S. Army and were married for 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 on Tuesday to discuss the years-long search and acknowledge the various agencies involved in the extensive recovery effort.
