Police believe Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy, was likely abducted from her home in Arizona.
A spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department told Page Six that investigators believe the 84-year-old woman, who has been missing since Sunday, “was taken from her home against her will, possibly in the middle of the night.”
“This includes the possibility of kidnapping and abduction,” the spokesperson added.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told CNN on Monday night, “This is an elderly woman in her mid-80s who is very ill… She couldn’t go more than 50 yards.”
He added that after 50 years of work, he had a “gut feeling” that Nancy had been kidnapped. “What they told me about that scene led me to believe there was more than just a missing person.”
Nanos told CNN he hoped she was still alive and that “time is of the essence.”
When asked if there was evidence that she was hurt, Nanos declined to comment.
Nancy was reported missing from her home in the Tucson area around 11 a.m. Sunday after failing to show up for church.
According to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, she was last seen Saturday night around 9:30 p.m., when she was dropped off at her Catalina Foothills home after dinner with her family.
Authorities are now treating her disappearance as a crime.
“Now that we have processed the crime scene, we believe there is indeed a crime scene and we are asking for the community’s assistance,” Nanos said at a news conference Monday.
“(Nancy) did not leave on her own,” he continued, explaining that he believed “the situation at the scene (…) is inherently suspicious.”
Nanos described Nancy as “sharp as a tack” and noted that due to her age and “physical limitations” she was “not just a wanderer”.
The situation is especially critical because Nancy needs essential medicines every day to survive.
The “Today” host, 54, plans to step down from hosting NBC’s 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, sources told Page Six.
The mother-of-two was due to be in Italy for the opening of the 2026 Olympics on Friday and was due to co-host the ceremony with Terry Gannon, but she is likely to be absent, sources said.
A Guthrie family spokesperson told the Post in a statement: “We can confirm that this is a missing persons case and the family is working closely with local law enforcement. If anyone has any information, please contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900. The family appreciates the support, thoughts and prayers.”
The story is unfolding…
