Savannah Guthrie posted an emotional video on her Instagram Wednesday night in which she and her two siblings, Annie and Camron, spoke out about the person who kidnapped their 84-year-old mother.
“She is 84 years old. Her health and heart are fragile. She lives in constant pain. She has no medicine. She needs medicine to survive and she needs medicine to not suffer,” Guthrie said. “We too have heard reports in the media about the ransom letter. We are doing everything we can as a family. We are ready to speak. But we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a shadow of a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and are ready to hear it.”
At the beginning of the video, Guthrie’s sister Annie calls her mother a “lighthouse” in her life and begs her to come home.
“We will always be just people, normal people who need mothers,” she said. “Mom, Mom, if you’re listening, I want you to come home. I miss you.”
Guthrie ended the video by speaking directly to her mother.
“Mom, if you’re listening to this, you’re a strong woman,” Guthrie said. “You are God’s precious daughter, Nancy. We believe and know that God is with you in this valley. Mom, we are looking for you everywhere. We will not rest, and your children will not rest until we are together again. We will always speak to you, pray without ceasing, and rejoice in advance of the day when we will hold you in our arms again. We love you.”
Nancy Guthrie went missing last weekend near Tucson, Arizona, and was last seen at her home in the Catalina Foothills on the night of January 31st. Due to her age, she was classified by police as a “missing vulnerable adult.”
On Monday, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office announced that Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance would be treated as a crime after “very disturbing” evidence was found in her home. “Yes, we believe she was kidnapped,” Sheriff Chris Nanos told CBS News. “She didn’t walk away from there. She wasn’t willing to go.”
Nanos said Sunday night that Nancy had “no signs of cognitive problems,” was “very alert” and in a “very sound state of mind.”
Savannah Guthrie did not appear on “Today” Monday morning, but she did issue a statement to her co-hosts asking for the public’s help in finding her mother. She asked for prayers in an Instagram post later that day.
“We believe in prayer. We believe in voices raised in unison, filled with love and hope. We believe in goodness. We believe in humanity. Above all, we believe in God,” she wrote in the caption of the post. “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. We need you.”
TMZ reported Tuesday night that it had received a ransom note in Bitcoin “demanding payment for the release of Nancy Guthrie.” In response, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office said, “We are aware of reports circulating regarding a possible ransom note regarding the Nancy Guthrie investigation. We take all information and leads very seriously. Anything that comes in is sent directly to detectives working with the FBI.”
