Gayle King became emotional while reporting on Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother Nancy Guthrie.
On Thursday’s episode of “CBS Mornings,” she opened the show by discussing Savannah’s new Instagram video with her two siblings, in which she begged for the safe return of Nancy, who was allegedly kidnapped from her home in Arizona.
“This morning we’re going to start things off a little differently because, like you, we wake up this morning with very heavy hearts and praying for our friend and colleague Savannah Guthrie,” Dr. King said, sitting between Vladimir Dutierres and Adriana Diaz.
“His mother Nancy is still missing at this time and late last night the Guthrie family released a very emotional message.”
King, 71, tearfully described Nancy’s mysterious disappearance as an “unimaginable situation for the Guthrie family.”
“Savannah came to me saying, ‘Mom,'” King said, referring to the anchor’s heartbreaking video shared Wednesday night. “To hear a grown woman say, ‘Mom, we’re all looking for you.’ We’re all looking for her.”
“This is something none of us could have imagined,” the CBS journalist continued.
She also called the situation “very scary and very disturbing,” noting that “I can’t stop thinking about Savannah and her brother putting out that video message.”
An emotional king added: “My heart can’t help but break when I think of her.”
King also spoke about Savannah’s special bond with her mother.
“We all know how close she was to her mother,” Dr. King told viewers. “You keep seeing those pictures over and over again. We’re trying to make sense of something that doesn’t make sense. And that’s why we keep suffering and gasping for something. Please help me understand how this is happening, why this is happening and what we can do about it. It’s very, very scary to me.”
Nancy was reported missing on Sunday morning after failing to show up for church.
The 84-year-old matriarch was last seen at around 9:30pm the night before, after having dinner with her daughter Annie and her husband Tommaso Cioni.
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 while she was sleeping.
As the investigation progressed, photographs of Nancy’s home began to show signs of blood.
Savannah, who had taken a break from the Today show since her mother disappeared, filmed a video with her siblings Annie and Camron in which they asked her alleged captors for proof that Nancy was alive.
“Our mother is our heart and home. She is 84 years old. Her health, her heart is fragile. She lives in constant pain. She doesn’t have medicine. She needs it to live and not to suffer,” Savannah said.
NBC journalists also mentioned the existence of an unconfirmed ransom letter that allegedly demanded payment in Bitcoin in exchange for Nancy’s release.
“We’re doing the best we can as a family. We’re ready to have the conversation,” Savannah said.
“But we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We definitely need to know that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen.”
At the end of the video, Savannah vowed to “not rest” until her family is together again.
