Savannah Guthrie’s consistent television appearances upon her return to “Today” will be a huge help in the ongoing investigation into her mother’s disappearance.
Savannah’s NBC co-host announced Friday that Savannah will return to the role on “Today” on April 6 after her beloved mother, Nancy Guthrie, was kidnapped from her Arizona home on Feb. 1.
Former FBI agent Jason Pack spoke exclusively to Page Six about how Savannah returning to work will help the investigation, saying, “Savannah has a platform that most families don’t have, and she’s taking advantage of that.”
“When you sit behind that desk every morning, your mother’s face will be in front of millions of people, and that’s important,” he continues. “It’s the only way she can fight back right now, and it puts her in control of how she and her family get through the worst thing that’s ever happened to them.”
“I think the bottom line is this: You may be able to kidnap someone’s breasts, but you’ll never be able to kidnap someone’s spine,” Pack said. “The strength of people you see in incidents like this never ceases to amaze me.”
The former agent added that he is clinging to what he can control and show up for.
“We’re not going to give the people who did this more than they’ve already taken. That’s the definition of strength, plain and simple,” he explains.
Hoda Kotb announced Friday that Savannah is “returning to the job she loves here at Today.”
Craig Melvin added of his co-host, “Joy will be her resistance because she’s not going to give in to her grief. That’s where she belongs. That’s where we all want her to be.”
Also during the interview, Savannah vowed that her nightmarish family relationship would not fall apart.
The newscaster went on to explain that her brother, Camron Guthrie, “saw clearly right away” that Nancy might have been “kidnapped for ransom.”
Savannah asked, “How stupid am I? I didn’t want to believe it, but do you think it’s my fault?” And he said, ‘I’m sorry, but I guess.’
“But I knew it. I hope not, but we don’t know yet. We don’t know anything, so I don’t know if it’s because she’s my mom and someone thought, ‘Oh, that woman has money, we can make money quickly.’ It makes sense, but we don’t know.”
Savannah said the thought of her mother being kidnapped for ransom because of her profession was “unbearable.”
With a heartbroken look on her face, she said, “It was my fault and I just want to say I’m so sorry, Mom.”
Nancy was reported missing on February 1st after missing a virtual church service.
Authorities said at a news conference that they believe Nancy was abducted and “harmed” while she was sleeping because her blood tests were seen outside her home in Tucson, Arizona.
Video and photos of the masked person were released on February 10th.
Savannah also elaborated on the kidnapping in an interview Thursday, saying, “The door was thrown open, there was blood on the porch, and the Ring camera had been torn out.”
A number of people are being questioned in connection with the kidnapping, but no suspects have been arrested.
