What you need to know
Today host Savannah Guthrie broke her silence following the disappearance and possible kidnapping of her mother, Nancy Guthrie.
Savannah addressed Nancy’s disappearance in an Instagram post on Monday, February 2nd, thanking supporters for their prayers. “We believe in prayer. We believe in voices raised in unison with love and hope. We believe in goodness,” Savannah wrote in the caption of her post. “We believe in humanity. And most of all, we believe in God.”
she continued. “Thank you for lifting up your prayers with us for our beloved mother, our beloved Nancy, a woman of deep faith, a good and faithful servant. Please lift up your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted up by them in this moment.”
Savannah continued her post by quoting the Bible verse Isaiah 26:3. “The Lord will keep in perfect peace those who trust in Him and are steadfast in heart,” she wrote. “An eternal Isaiah verse for all of us.”
The post’s caption read, “Take her home.”
Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of a broadcast journalist, disappeared on January 31st, and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in Arizona began a search the next day. She was last seen at her home near East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue around 9:30 p.m.
Sheriff Chris Nanos said during a press conference on Sunday, February 1, that a search and rescue operation was underway amid an alarming incident at Nancy’s home after her family called 911 around noon that day to report her missing.
Savannah Guthrie/Instagram
Providing an update on Monday, February 2, the sheriff told reporters that investigators now believe a crime has occurred, describing this as a “crime scene” rather than an “investigative mission.” He added that authorities are asking for the public’s help.
“This is an 84-year-old woman who suffers from several physical ailments, has physical problems and requires medication, which can lead to death if not taken within 24 hours,” he added.
Nanos stressed that despite Nancy’s physical limitations, she is of “sound mind” and did not leave her home voluntarily.
Nanos also shared that investigators believe Nancy was “removed from her home against her will, probably in the middle of the night.”
“If she is taken against her will, that also includes the possibility of kidnapping or abduction,” Sheriff Nanos added.
Investigators are conducting an extensive search, reviewing surveillance footage and license plate readers. “We know she didn’t just walk away,” the sheriff said.
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Savannah, 54, did not appear on the Today show on Monday, February 2, as the search for her mother continues.
Shainelle Jones, who filled in for Guthrie with Craig Melvin, told viewers on the air: “On a very personal note for us, Savannah’s beloved mother, Nancy Guthrie, has been reported missing in Arizona.”
The sheriff confirmed Savannah was in Arizona and said the entire family had been “cooperative” with investigators. He noted that additional agencies, including the FBI, are assisting with the ongoing investigation.
PCSD describes Nancy as a woman with brown hair and blue eyes. She is 5 feet and 5 inches tall and weighs about 150 pounds.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Office at 520-351-4900.
