President Trump plans to order the death penalty for those responsible if Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, is not returned alive and unharmed.
In a brief conversation with The Post on Monday, President Trump said that if the 84-year-old Nancy was found dead, her suspected kidnappers would face the “very severe” and “severest” federal penalties as the search for Savannah’s mother enters its third week.
Asked if that meant the Justice Department would seek the death penalty, the 79-year-old commander-in-chief added: “Great, yes. That’s true.”
Arizona is one of 27 US states with the death penalty, and the state has carried out two executions since 2022.
Federal charges are common in high-profile cases like this one, especially when the case has an interstate element or violates federal law.
President Trump previously spoke out about Nancy’s disappearance shortly after she was first reported missing on February 1st.
Follow the latest news about Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother Nancy in real time
“I spoke with Savannah Guthrie and informed her that I am directing all federal law enforcement agencies to immediately and fully discipline her family and local law enforcement,” he wrote on Truth Social on February 4.
“We are dedicating every resource to bringing mothers home safely,” the president added. “Our nation’s prayers are with her and her family. God bless and bless Nancy!”
Nancy was last seen at around 9:48 p.m. on January 31, after having dinner and playing games with her daughter Annie and son-in-law Tommaso Cioni.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who has been leading the investigation, acknowledged that investigators are still treating Nancy’s disappearance as a kidnapping rather than a botched robbery.
“This is a person who disappeared from the face of the earth, and now we have cameras that show us that this is the person who did this,” he told the Daily Mail on Monday.
However, Nanos acknowledged that authorities have not yet been able to determine a clear motive.
“That’s why we call this a kidnapping,” he continued. “The motive is that you are stuck, right?”
“Is it for money? I mean, there was only one thing they asked for money,” Nanos added. “But is it really about money or revenge for something?”
Meanwhile, Savannah announced a new plea against her mother’s alleged kidnapper in an Instagram video posted on Sunday.
“I just want to say to anyone who owns her or knows where she is, it’s never too late,” the 54-year-old Today anchor said two weeks after her mother was first reported missing. “And you’re never lost or alone. It’s never too late to do the right thing.”
“And here we are, and we believe,” Savannah added. “And we believe in the inherent goodness of all human beings. And it’s never too late.”
