Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy, was socially well-behaved until she was brutally kidnapped from her home in Arizona, a crime that shocked the local community.
Her longtime friend and book clubmate Mary Ann Blevins shared insight into the weeks leading up to Nancy’s disappearance in an interview with Page Six on Wednesday.
“We were together last month,” Blevins said, explaining that they were meeting for a monthly book club.
Blevins, 86, recalled that Nancy, 84, was “in great spirits” the last time the group of eight bookworms met.
“We’ve known each other for years,” Blevins explained. “I met her a long time ago when I started my first book club.”
“We keep in touch a lot,” she continued. “She’s just a beautiful person.”
Outside of her tight-knit book club, Blevins said Nancy enjoys spending time with her mahjong group and her grandchildren.
“(Nancy’s) daughter lives here and she has a boy she sometimes picks up from school and watches over,” Blevins said of Savannah’s sister Annie Guthrie, who lives nearby.
Mr Blevins expressed concern about Nancy’s health, noting that she “requires medication” and has “difficulty moving.”
“It’s amazing. For something like this to happen after we’ve known each other for years. It’s unbelievable,” Blevins said, describing her friend as “a very kind person” and “very outgoing.”
Asked if Nancy ever expressed fear of being alone or being kidnapped, Blevins said, “No, never.” Asked if he had ever talked about any security concerns, Blevins said: “No, not at all.
“Everyone who knew her and met her loved her,” Blevins said. “I don’t think she has any enemies. That’s why this whole thing is so scary.”
Nancy was reported missing after failing to show up for church on Sunday morning.
Nancy was last seen the night before at around 9:30 p.m., after having dinner with Annie and her husband, Tommaso Cioni.
Authorities initially said Annie was the last person to see her mother, but law enforcement told the Wednesday Post that Sioni was the last person to see Annie alive after driving her home around 9:45 p.m.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Monday that Nancy’s home is being treated as a crime scene and that she may have been abducted from her home while she was sleeping.
“(Nancy) did not leave on her own,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said, adding that investigators believe “the circumstances at the scene (…) are suspicious in nature.”
As the investigation progressed, visible blood stains were found on photos of Nancy’s home.
Savannah asked fans for prayers in a lengthy Instagram post on February 2, but her husband Michael Feldman told Page Six that he had “nothing new to report.”
Police confirmed on Tuesday that they had not ruled out a ransom demand, before TMZ reported that Nancy received a bill demanding millions of dollars in Bitcoin in exchange for her release.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office released a statement Tuesday saying it was “aware of reports circulating of a possible ransom note in connection with the Nancy Guthrie investigation.”
“We take all tips and leads very seriously,” the statement continued. “Everything that comes in goes directly to detectives working with the FBI.”
The same day, the FBI was seen visiting Annie’s home in Arizona for a two-hour meeting. Savannah is believed to have been at home during the meeting.
On Wednesday, the sheriff’s office confirmed that no suspects or persons of interest have yet been identified.
Savannah said in a statement on “Today” that she had a close relationship with her mother and encouraged anyone with information to “contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.”
