The woman was identified as 28-year-old Passion Schurz, who had been reported missing nearly a week earlier.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A woman’s body was recovered from a canal in Scottsdale on Saturday morning after a passerby spotted her in the water near Indian Bend and Hayden roads, and police later identified her as 28-year-old Passion Schurz, authorities said.
Schurz had been reported missing from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community on March 22, and her death has now become the focus of a joint investigation involving Scottsdale police, Salt River police and the Maricopa County medical examiner. Authorities have said they do not yet know how she died, leaving her family, community members and investigators waiting for answers in a case that quickly drew attention across the northeast Valley.
Police said the recovery began around 8 a.m. March 28, when someone walking along the canal called in after seeing a body in the water near the busy intersection of Indian Bend and Hayden roads. Scottsdale officers and firefighters responded and pulled the body from the canal. At first, authorities described the person only as an adult woman. By the next day, investigators said they had identified her as Schurz, using what police described as her tattoos, physical characteristics and clothing. In a public statement, Scottsdale police said, “This is not the outcome anyone looking for Passion Schurz was hoping for,” adding that the department was extending condolences to her family, friends and community as the investigation continued.
Officials have released only limited details about the condition of Schurz’s body and the evidence collected so far. Police said investigators had not been able to confirm whether there were traumatic injuries because of the body’s condition, but they also said they found no injuries tied to fractures, stab wounds or gunshot wounds. That left major questions unanswered, including when Schurz entered the water, whether she died before she was found in the canal, and whether anyone else may have been involved. Authorities have not announced any arrests, named any suspects or described any signs of a struggle near the scene. The medical examiner is expected to determine the official cause and manner of death, including whether toxicology testing will help explain what happened in the days before Schurz was found.
The case drew additional concern because Schurz had already been the subject of a missing-person search. Police said she was reported missing March 22 from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, east of Scottsdale. Follow-up local reporting said she had last been seen March 19 at her home, and community members had shared flyers and appeals online as her disappearance stretched across several days. The canal where her body was found cuts through a heavily traveled part of Scottsdale, near trails, golf facilities and roads that are frequently used by walkers, runners and cyclists. That public setting has added to the attention around the case, especially because the discovery happened in daylight and in a prominent area of the city rather than in an isolated desert location.
For investigators, the next steps are likely to depend on autopsy findings, scene review and interviews with people who last saw or spoke with Schurz. Scottsdale police said they are working with Salt River police and the medical examiner, a sign that both local jurisdiction and the earlier missing-person report remain central to the case. Authorities have not said when the medical examiner’s report will be completed, and no court filings or criminal charges had been announced as of Sunday. Police have asked for tips from the public while they continue reviewing the circumstances of Schurz’s disappearance, the period between her reported missing date and the discovery of her body, and any evidence that could help establish a timeline.
As the investigation moved forward, the case also carried emotional weight for people who had hoped Schurz would be found alive. Search efforts and social media posts in recent days had centered on bringing her home safely. Instead, the recovery shifted the focus from a missing-person case to a death investigation. Community advocates and supporters continued sharing her name online, while local news outlets reported renewed calls for clearer answers about how quickly alerts were issued and how missing Indigenous women’s cases are handled. Those broader concerns remain separate from the official cause-of-death inquiry, but they have become part of the public response surrounding Schurz’s death.
For now, investigators say the central facts remain unchanged: Schurz was missing for days, her body was found in a Scottsdale canal on March 28, and the medical examiner’s findings are expected to shape the next stage of the case.
Author note: Last updated March 30, 2026.